With its whimsical inlay of hardstones, amber and mother-of-pearl, this highly unusual commode appears to be a unique creation of an anonymous eighteenth-century cabinetmaker. The inclusion of amber implies a northern European origin, whereas the wide array of stones and the mother-of-pearl used suggests that this commode is the product of an atelier in a city with active international trade. Although the main decorative feature of this commode is clearly the use of these rich and varied stones, it also makes fine use of the graphic natural figuring of the veneer which, coupled with the short giltwood feet and the gilt gesso highlights, relates this lot to the oeuvre of Danish craftsmen of the 1700s, particularly to that of those in Altona, which was then under Danish rule. For comparable commodes see Annette-Isabell Kratz, Altonaer Möbel Des Rokoko und Klassizismus, Hamburg, 1988, pp. 211-212, nos. 33-35. The front of our commode was designed with a flat surface for decoration, as opposed to the serpentine shape of the cited examples, presumably as it was better suited for the stone inlay.

The use of oak as the primary timber is another link between our commode and the work of master cabinetmakers of the city. Walnut may be the most typical veneer used on Altona case furniture, but exotic woods, such as mahogany, were also used occasionally, see ibid., pp. 224-225, nos. 55 and 57. It is possible that, in addition to applying stones, amber and mother-of-pearl, the maker of this commode chose kingwood veneer to further differentiate it, making it even more luxurious.

Not only was Altona adjacent to Hamburg and other Hanseatic cities centered around international trade, it was itself the second-most important port of the Danish Crown, after Copenhagen. Altona cabinetmakers and their customers benefited from firsthand access to a wide variety of exotic and unusual materials, as well as a myriad of stylistic influences from abroad. The Danish elites of the eighteenth century are well known for their taste for the exotic and the unusual, as witnessed by the distinctive Chinese export furniture created specifically for their market (see T. Clemmenson, 'Some Furniture Made in China in the English Style, Exported from Canton to Denmark 1735, 1737 and 1738', Furniture History, 1985, pp. 174-177). Many of these pieces were markedly Danish in form, but decorated with Chinese lacquer. Similarly, the shape of our commode follows north European Baroque archetypes, though its astounding decoration is unexpected and quite possibly unique.