A Louis XIII Walnut, Maple and Fruitwood Marquetry Table Cabinet, Mid-17th Century

Sotheby's Paris, 16 October 2007, lot 11

This cabinet is a rare survival of French marquetry in the cosses de pois (pea pod) style that developed in early 17th-Century Paris. Based on stylized forms of flowers, foliage and arabesque scrolls and influenced by contemporary styles in Italy and the Low Countries, it was developed as a design source for goldsmiths and metal workers and disseminated through ornamental engravings. It can be seen as a precursor to the naturalistic floral marquetry and scrollwork inlay developed later in the century by Pierre Gole, André-Charles Boulle and others.