17th-century chest with architectural marquetry

Beautiful palatial architecture for this rare inlaid chest from the 17th century, from southern Alsace or Switzerland. Its decoration recalls the motifs of ruined cities found on the cabinets of curiosities and collectors that completed Rhenish interiors at the end of the 16th century, and invites us to discover the twists and turns of this imaginary palace.
Sixteen columns, twelve large ones grouped in pairs and four smaller ones, enclose windows and punctuate the facade and sides. The large columns are inlaid with trompe l'oeil decoration simulating fluting, and are based on the Doric order, set against a wall that supports a window with a concave base, set between two carved fluted columns, topped by an oculus and topped by a triangular pediment.
Other, narrower windows, with perspective effects and cast shadows, adorn this facade, in the center of which is a large porch with a semicircular arch set against a brick wall. This porch opens onto a garden protected by a gate and embellished with a monumental vase from which springs a luxuriant bouquet of foliage, fruit and varied flowers.
Above the large columns, the architrave is surmounted by a frieze of geometrical Greek motifs, with the front molding at the top of the trunk acting as a cornice.
The sides, worked like the facade, change the direction of vision, which is now directed outwards, with a view of city architecture in the distance. The foreground suggests an unfinished or ruined construction, a nod to the vanities, reminding us of the destiny of the most beautiful palaces of past civilizations, which were rediscovered during the excavations undertaken in Rome during the Renaissance. This piece can be integrated into a classic interior, but will also be equally effective in a contemporary setting on a glass or raw steel console table.

wood: walnut, oak, corm, softwood, maple, fruit trees