Cabinet; Flemish School; first half of the 17th century.Ionised wood and oil paintings on copper.

Cabinet; Flemish School; first half of the 17th century.
Ionised wood and oil paintings on copper.
It has a carving of the Virgin and Child.
It has faults, damage, loss of two drawer registers and later additions such as one of the hinges.
It has slight paint losses and restorations.
It retains the iron fittings and two keys (one old and one current).
Measurements: 77.5 x 70 x 50 cm (open); 26 x 18.5 cm (crucifixion); 23.5 x 11 cm (side, x2).
Cabinet made of ebonised wood with a volumetric structure in a rectangular format. The piece is structured on a base with sharp edges and a baroque aesthetic defined by four legs carved with geometric motifs, on which stands the foot, which has a sober design, but dynamic at the same time due to the protrusions and protrusions. The rectangular body is divided into two areas: the rear and the front. The opening of the rear area, which has a hinged lid, reveals a compartmentalised interior, populated by small drawers that vary in size. It is true that the piece does not have two of the registers, so small drawers are missing. As for the front part, it has a drawer at the base with an ornamental lock, and in the upper part two doors also with locks, which give way to an interior in which the upper part can be folded down, so that the total opening of the same creates a top that finishes off the structure, thus becoming a kind of chapel. The hinged doors, the centre and the top are decorated with oil paintings. Dominating the whole is the crucifixion of Christ, accompanied at the foot of the cross by Saint John and the Virgin. This iconographic form evolved from the original Byzantine Déesis, which depicted Christ in Majesty accompanied by Mary and St John the Baptist. In Western art, the depiction of Christ on the cross was preferred as a narrative scene, and the figure of St John the Baptist was replaced by that of John the Evangelist. The interior of the left door shows the figure of Saint John the Baptist, dressed in the usual red cloak, which alludes to his martyrdom. Next to him is the presence of a lamb, which represents Jesus Christ, and he supports a cross of reeds, although in this case the usual phylactery with the inscription "Ecce Agnus Dei" is not visible. The right door shows the kneeling, praying figure of Saint Francis, the son of a wealthy Italian merchant. Baptised John, he soon became known as "Francesco" (the little Frenchman), because his mother came from that country. His youth was joyful and carefree until the age of twenty-five, when he changed completely and began to dedicate himself to the service of God, practising the Gospel ideal: purity, detachment and joy in peace. Francis renounced the great inheritance he had received from his parents and decided to live poorly, setting an example of a true Christian. He soon had several young disciples, called by the saint "the Order of Friars Minor". In 1210, Pope Innocent III granted them the foundation of the new order and encouraged them in their evangelical tasks.
In the upper crest, the ornamentation is enriched by the presence of a carving depicting the figure of the Virgin and Child, inscribed in a break of glory that is defined by the golden rays emanating from the body of the mother of Christ. Finally, rounding off this pictorial ensemble, a circular oil on copper contains the figure of God the Father, holding the orb in one of his hands, which alludes to his control over the universe.