Lot 18: A DUTCH COLONIAL SILVER-MOUNTED STINKWOOD, AMBOINA AND SATINWOOD CABINET

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE, CIRCA 1780-1790, THE SILVER MOUNTS BY DANIEL HEINRICH SCHMIDT
The arched, moulded cornice above a pair of panelled doors between satinwood veneered canted angles, enclosing a plain interior with three shelves and five drawers, the base with moulded drawers and on carved bracket feet
255 cm. high x 200 cm. wide x 70 cm. deep

This typical example of a so called Cape cabinet shows an interesting fusion of influences from Europe and the Cape. The design of the cabinet is inspired by the Dutch cabinet of the early 18th century, notably the waved drawer-fronts which were fashionable in Holland between 1730-1740. The woods used are typical of the Cape; most cape cabinets are constructed using various timbers and veneers of contrasting colour, using a mix of local timber and european timber, such as oak and pine for the carcass. The solid construction of the back, and the drawers could point towards a cabinetmaker of German origin.

The silver mounts were made by Daniel Heinrich Schmidt, a German who came to the Cape from Strelitz in 1768. He was a sword-cutler in the service of the Dutch East India Company until 1778 and received his burgher rights as silversmith in 1779. His work is stamped with his initials 'DHS' and with a flower-and-leaf emblem.

Although silver-mounted Cape cabinets are rare, in recent years one was in the exhibition Domestic Interiors at the Cape and in Batavia 1602-1795, Gemeentmuseum The Hague, 5 october 2002 - 9 February 2003. Another is with Deon Viljoen, Capetown. Both cabinets have silver mounts which are partially from the same mould. Besides furniture mounts, Schmidt also made silver for domestic use, such as candlesticks, tea and coffee pots and sugar bowls cf. Stephan Welz, Cape silver and silversmiths, Cape Town, 1976, pp. 59, 69, 97-100. For a cabinet with the same silver mounts see: Titus Eliëns et. al. Wonen op de kaap en in Batavia 1602 - 1795, Zwolle 2002, cat. no. 68, pp. 210, 211.

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