A Bohemian carved walnut and ebonized wood cabinet, Eger, mid-17th century, attributed to Adam Eck
Lot Closed
September 23, 01:17 PM GMT
Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 EUR
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Read more.Lot Details
Description
the top hinged lid opening with a key to reveal a small storage compartment, the reverse of the lid with a carved relief depicting a hunting scene, opening with two doors, each decorated with a relief depicting a female figure: one holding a rose and a basket of fruits, the other holding an anchor, the interior with eleven drawers carved and painted with mythological scenes, a central niche carved and painted with a Poseidon in a fountain, a long drawer carved with flower motifs, mounts in silver-plate
Haut. 88 cm, larg. 74 cm, prof. 37 cm ; Height 34 5/8 in, width 29 in, depth 14 1/2 in
Sotheby’s, London, 18 May 2021, lot 17
J. Voigt, Reliefintarsien aus Eger, Leipzig, 1999
The iconography of the cabinet
In the 17th century, the town of Eger in Bohemia (now Cheb, in the Czech Republic) was renowned for its furniture and decorative objects carved in bas-relief from various types of coloured wood. These works often depicted mythological and historical scenes inspired by widely circulated engravings and prints. Among the most renowned workshops was that of Adam Eck (1604–1664), to whom this cabinet is attributed.
The cabinet's decoration is rich and detailed. The left door depicts a woman symbolising Spring, holding flowers, while the right door illustrates Hope, holding an anchor and a dove. These figures are inspired by European engravings popular in the early 17th century. Inside, three drawers show the Olympian goddesses Venus, Juno and Minerva. Other drawers illustrate scenes from Ovid's Metamorphoses, based on 16th-century woodcuts by Virgil Solis, such as Diana and Actaeon, Apollo and Daphne, and the hunt of Meleager. The reverse side of the lid depicts a deer hunt, and floral friezes, typical of the Eger style in the 17th century, decorate the top and base of the cabinet.
Attribution to Adam Eck
Specialists such as Jochen Voigt have identified at least seven workshops in Eger producing this type of relief inlay from the mid-17th century onwards. Adam Eck is recognised as a pioneer of this three-dimensional marquetry. Several cabinets and panels attributed to Eck, preserved in European museums, show close stylistic and thematic similarities to this piece, notably the motif of Neptune's fountain at the back of the central niche.
Adam Eck (1604–1664) was born into a family of master carpenters in Eger and took over his father's workshop around 1632. Described as a skilled master and sculptor, he married a woman from an influential family and worked for prestigious patrons, including members of the Habsburg court and European nobility. His workshop employed several craftsmen, enabling him to supervise the production of complex works.
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