With ripple moldings and elaborate decoration in the “Auricular-Style”, various removable compartments and hidden drawers. Spring mechanism for the columns with secret drawers behind, the backside and interior of middle compartment veneered with geometrical ornaments of exotic woods.

Stamped with the “pine cone” for Augsburg and “Eben” as a guarantee for the use of genuine and expensive ebony.

The costly tropical wood was originally imported through Venice, and then after the founding of the Dutch East India Company in 1602 almost exclusively through Amsterdam. 

As anywhere else, attempts were made in Augsburg to imitate ebony, usually by staining pear wood black. In order to counteract this malpractice the guild introduced guarantee marks in 1625: henceforth furniture veneered with ebony was to be stamped with the word EBEN and the pine cone PYR from the Augsburg coat of arms. The buyer could now rest assured that only genuine ebony had been used. After all, genuine ebony work represented a considerable increase in value and luxury. 

Prov.: Private collection, France