UNKNOWN CABINETMAKER, Netherlandish
(active 1520s in Northern Netherlands)

Dresser

1520s
Oak, 147 x 103 x 75 cm
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

In a medieval household the dresser was the most ornate part of the furniture. The dresser was often used to store costly objects made of silver and gold. The dresser was a way of advertising its owner's wealth.

The dresser shown in the picture comes from an Alkmaar almshouse, it was was made probably for one of the city's civic guards in the days of Emperor Charles V.




© Web Gallery of Art, created by Emil Krén and Daniel Marx.