SPAIN, 16TH CENTURY

This impressively large fall-front cabinet is a fine example of the fashion for luxury furniture in Spain in the 15^th and 16th centuries. The precisely intricate inlaid taracea micromosaic was used as a decorative technique in Spain and North Africa from as early as the 10th century and remained popular until the late 16th century. The earliest example is the minbar of the Great Mosque of Cordoba dated to the period of al-Hakim II (r.961-978 AD) and the technique continued to be used in Caliphal marquetry workshops throughout the Almoravid and Almohad dynasties (Jerrilyn D. Dodds, Al-Andalus, The Art of Islamic Spain, New York, 1992, p. 373). The shield on the front of the cabinet imitates the heraldic device of the Nasrid kings which was a shield with a white bend containing their motto in Arabic: "There is no conqueror but God".

The inclusion of silver was a notable feature of the 16th century because it was during this period that silver from Spain’s colonies in the New World became a more abundant material in Spain (Miriam Rosser-Owen, Islamic Arts from Spain, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 2010, p.88). The repeating stellar motif found throughout the design of this cabinet is also typical of the period and can be seen on a similarly decorated casket in the Victoria & Albert Museum (inv. 530-1903). A similarly large 16th century post-Nasrid inlaid cabinet, was sold in these Rooms, 28 October 2020, lot 21.