17th century ebony marquetry cabinet

Ebony cabinet. The crosspieces and the nine drawers of this cabinet are inlaid with foliated scrolls and foliage. They enclose a gate with a decor simulating an architectural porch, topped with a semicircular vault, with in its center a representation of the god Mars, flanked of his attributes: helmet, pilum, mantle and shield. The gate reveals a small theater at the top of which a small arrangement of drawers conceals a secret. On the inside of the flap, a matching motif depicts the shadow of this Roman divinity, whose subject, widely used during the Renaissance, seems inspired by the fresco discovered in Pompeii, in the house of Venus. On the outer face of the seat, a representation of Neptune, God of the seas and oceans. The presence of these two deities, picturing the domination of the land and the seas, suggests that this exceptional piece of furniture was made for a powerful sponsor. Italian work, probably Naples. The craftsmen of this city specialize in cabinets embellished with thin ivory plates. The Spanish domination over Naples allows this kingdom to easily access the ivory market since the takeover by the Habsburgs of the Kingdom of Portugal, which held a virtual monopoly on the trade of this precious and prized material. Iron side handles. 17th century period. Small old restorations, ball feet and posterior key.