A Dutch stained sycamore, tulipwood, walnut and japanned side cabinet late 18th century

with a rectangular hinged top opening to reveal an oval recess for a serving bowl, above canted corners, with a pair of cupboard doors decorated with a panel with a vase of flowers with a bird, frog and crab enclosing two shelves flanked by a panel of diaper motifs enclosing quadrants with stylised foliage, the stiles with scrolling foliage and flowers, with a drawer in each side, on toupie feet with egg-and-dart collars, the back with an illegible paper label inscribed in ink, 'Madame Eleol' underneath 'Lo'; formerly a serving buffet

Comparative Literature:
Reiner Baarsen, Dutch Furniture 1600-1800, p. 128, no. 61, (Inv. R.B.K. 1967-176), for a Dutch commode inlaid with panels of Dutch chinoiserie scenes in a similar manner to those upon this cabinet in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

Since around 1700, furniture inlaid with lacquer has been made in the Netherlands but this fell out of favour in the rococo period, unlike in France where the craftsmen had mastered the difficult technique of bending the lacquer to apply it to bombé commodes.

When the influence of neo-classicism took hold in the late 1780's, lacquer was again applied to furniture in the Netherlands. Princess Wilhemina was supplied by the Hague cabinet-maker Matthijs Horrix in 1780, with several commodes inlaid with oriental lacquer provided by the Princess. Horrix became a specialist in this field which was practised by other makers in the Netherlands. The panels on the cabinet in the Rijksmuseum are not true Japanese or Chinese lacquer but a Dutch imitation vernis Martin as on the offered cabinet.

Baarsen, op. cit., states  that in the later phase of the development of Dutch neo-classical marquetry furniture, lacquer panels were very popular and that the lacquer was almost always combined with light woods to produce a strong colour contrast.