At the beginning of the 16th century, the revival of interest in Antiquity and the Mannerist fascination with precious materials sparked a renaissance of hardstone works in Florence and Rome. Roman workshops quickly distinguished themselves from their Florentine counterparts through marquetry featuring geometric patterns inspired by ancient opus sectile, found on pavements and wall facings excavated from the Roman ruins. Rather than employing figurative forms, as was customary in Florence, Roman marquetry thus exalted the natural beauty of hardstones. These cabinets were made by Rome’s leading cabinetmakers, such as Giacomo Herman, who produced pieces for the Pope and the Emperor.

This cabinet displays all the characteristic features of 17th-century Roman table cabinets: a rectangular form fitted with side handles derived from portable chests; a highly architectural design inspired by the palatial and religious architecture of the period; marquetry of lapis lazuli, agate and jasper producing stained-glass-like effects in contrast with the ebony; and designs distinguished by rigorously geometric and symmetrical lines.

Often intended to adorn the studioli, or cabinets of curiosities, of wealthy Roman collectors, examples of these cabinets are known to survive both in museums and in private collections. One such example is a late 16th-century Roman table cabinet, closely related to ours, now preserved in the Kunsthistorisches Museum (A. M. Giusti, op. cit., p. 28). Further Roman cabinets to come to the market include a pair from the former collection of the Marchioness Patrizi Naro Montoro (Christie’s, London, 17 July 2014, lot 1022) and an example sold at Sotheby’s in Paris (7 November 2013, lot 98).