An impressive South German Baroque gilt and black japanned Chinoiserie decorated bureau cabinetin the manner of Martin Schnell, possibly Dresdenearly 18th century and laterThe arched moulded cornice with later lotus blossom finials above doors enclosing a later fitted interior with drawers and spiral-twist columns, the serpentine lower section with hinged slant-front enclosing a fitted interior with central well, above three drawers on later bun feet. height 98in (249cm); width 42in (107cm) depth 22in (56cm)Provenance: sold Christies New York, 30 March 1995, lot 222.Property from Private Beverly Hills Collection, curated by Hendrix Allardyce.Footnote: The decoration on this cabinet is an example of the Continental fashion for Chinoiserie, which dates to the 17th century, when European travelers brought back exotic art and objects from the East. The techniques used in producing Chinese and Japanese lacquerware were expensive, so European workshops devised formulas for economically producing a similar surface that came to be known as japanned. Martin Schnell (1675-1740) was born in Dresden and began his career in the famous Berlin workshop of Gerhard Dagly (1657-1715) in 1703. He returned to Dresden in 1710 to found his own firm and was subsequently appointed lacquer-maker to Augustus the Strong. Influenced by Dagly, Schnell produced japanned works with intricate Chinoiserie scenes as on the bureau cabinet offered here. There are several pieces of furniture attributed to Martin Schnell, including a japanned cabinet on view in the collection of the Rijksmuseum (see R. Baarsen, Duitse meubelen. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Zwolle 1998, p.47). A related table and a similar bureau cabinet attributed to Schnell at Augustus the Strongs Palace at Pillnitz, are illustrated in H. Kreisel, Die Kunst Des Deutschen M?bels, 1970, vol. II, figs. 42 & 44.