λ  A Flemish ebony cabinet on chest

λ  A Flemish ebony cabinet on chest, decorated with ripple mouldings and raised panels, the hinged lid revealing an Italian reverse glass painting of the Nativity above a vacant interior, above a pair of panelled doors, the insides with ivory stringing and formerly inset with paintings, enclosing an arrangement of sixteen ripple moulded rosewood lined drawers inset with hardstone panels, comprising: six 17th century Italian Florentine pietra dura panels, probably from the Opifico delle pietra dure, inlaid with various stones with birds and flowers, with eight pietra paesina 'landscape' panels and six further paesina panels with fossilised plants, two heightened with hardstones and the natural details marquetry inlaid to form leopards, all flanking a central pedimented pull-out section with two drawers and tortoiseshell Solomonic columns, with gilt bronze capitals, and applied with six further pietra paesina panels and faceted lapis lazuli cabochons, the hinged door with five further landscape panels to the back, revealing a mirrored interior with an ebony and ivory parquet floor, with two further drawers, the whole section pulls out to reveal a bank of six rosewood secret drawers above a slide, the bottom right drawer with a printed description of the cabinet, possibly from an early 20th century auction sale or dealer's catalogue, inscribed 'A HANDSOME FLEMISH CABINET, of ebony, with folding doors above, each painted with classical subjects in oils inside and enclosing numerous drawers, inlaid with landscape marble and Florentine mosaic, twisted columns in the centre, and folding doors enclosing drawers below. Formerly in the possession of Napoleon I.', the later conforming base with a pair of doors enclosing twelve panelled drawers, on a plinth base, with substantial gilt bronze side carrying handles to the top, 17th century and later, 180cm high, 122cm wide, 59.7cm deep.

Provenance: From the collection of Sir Thomas Jackson, 1st Baronet (1841-1915), Gilford Castle, County Armagh, N. Ireland.

Sir Thomas was involved in the creation of HSBC and was appointed third Chief Manager of the bank in 1876. He lived in Shanghai and Yokohama in the late 19th century and his statue still stands today in Statue Square, Hong Kong, in front of HSBC's headquarters.

This fine cabinet with its decorative hardstone inlays includes an unusual material called pietra paesina or 'ruin marble' which is a sedimentary rock comprising of mainly compacted limestone and clay. It is almost exclusively found in Tuscany where the Medici Opificio delle Pietre Dure of Florence has used the stone since 1588. In Renaissance Europe it was highly regarded and in much demand from the Royal courts. In 17th century France it was prized by Cardinals Richelieu and Mazarin. It has an almost painterly quality and the designs created by the natural veins of impurities within the rock give the impression of crumbling cities, landscapes, mountains and seascapes.