This chest of drawers is distinguished by its finely ornamented veneer - so-called marquetry. It is made of different, exquisite woods, such as rosewood, mahogany and ebony. These woods are very colourful when freshly cut – ranging from dark red and purple to black. Thus, the chest of drawers must originally have had quite a different appearance, making the extraordinary ornamental decoration stand out even more.
The oval medallion of the top, framed by a beaded cord, shows finely worked cube marquetry in perspective. Such decorative patterns, typical of Classicism, are also found around the window frames of the two main rooms of the Kaiserzimmer. The same applies to the ribbon that frames the mirror of the plate: the motif of a ribbon loosely wound around a string not only appears in the decoration of the Kaiserzimmer - just look at the interior frame of the mirrors - but is also a defining ornament on the service, which is also exhibited here. The attention to detail in the marquetry is particularly noteworthy: The edges of the drawers are formed by a delicate profiled band composed of particles from different woods arranged in a pattern.
Despite its high quality, no information has come to light about the maker and the original context of this piece of furniture. A similar chest of drawers, possibly intended as a companion piece, was once owned by Mathilde of Saxony (1863-1933) and was returned to the House of Wettin in 1999.
Text: Alexander Röstel