Cabinet with Scenes from the Life of David

Description This cabinet with its 17 compartments (some hidden) is a marvel of woodcarving and a celebration of intricacy. Architectural elements and ornamental detailing frame narrative compositions, organized into a lattice of ordered compartments. Forty-eight scenes relate the Old Testament story of David, "prophet and king," as a model of virtue. The vigor of these compositions points to their derivation from woodcut designs by a master such as Joost Amman (1539-1591), but the source is unidentified. The significance of each scene is distilled by a Latin motto, for example the death of David (inside of the right-hand door), by PIETATIS DEFUNCTIO (a pious death). The artist Peter Opel of Regensburg proudly inscribed his name on the door to the central compartment and, on the back, carved his self-portrait, dressed as a gentleman but holding a chisel. The chest was designed to hold small treasures and antiquities.

Exhibitions

• World of Wonder. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1971-1972.
• Highlights from the Collection. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1998-2001.

Provenance Arnold Seligmann, Rey and Co., New York [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1915, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Inscriptions [Signature]; [Transcription] PIETATIS DEFUNCTIO; [Translation] a pious death

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters, 1915