Tulipcabinet

Ask anything

• Matt Houghton asked

  did Herman Doomer even mark his work with his initials?

• Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen answered

  Hello Matt, Unfortunately I cannot find anything in our collection registration system about a mark or a stamp, but an elaborate piece like this was aften signed in one way or another. The information that I can find goes as follows: research Loek van Aalst 14-01-2016: this art cabinet was made as one piece while most cabinets consisted of a cabinet on a table. kunstkabinet is als 1 kast gemaakt (vaak stonden dit soort kunstkabinetten op tafels. It can be dated around circa 1640. Doomer was ahead of his time in constructing the support and the foot. The frieze is typical for Doomer and probably he himself did the mother of pearl inlay. The painted tulips are very special, they do not occur in other furniture by Doomer. The balls under the feet seem to be original.
  Maybe you can find more information in this essay: Herman Doomer, ebony worker in Amsterdam, Reinier Baarsen, Burlington Magazine nov. 1996, pag. 739-749, afb. 29-32
  Kind regards, Els

• Margarida Pedro Serra asked

  the white matewrial is ivory or whalebone?

• Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen answered

  Hi Margarida,
  
  The white details of this ebony cabinet from 17th century were made with ivory and mother-of-pearl.
  
  Best,

• asked

  Where is the whalebone?

• Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen answered

  Thanks for your question. The 24 drawers inside the cabinet are decorated with a delicate pattern executed in whale-bone - which was readily available as a result of the flourishing whaling industry at the time. Herman Doomer himself, devised the process of pressing the material into a metal mold and colouring it. In 1641 he applied for a patent for this method. Best, Rianne