Pair of Cabinets

Natural objects such as shells, corals, and minerals were probably displayed in these cabinets. The owner could pull out a shelf set beneath the upper doors to rearrange and examine his or her specimens. Many wealthy Europeans maintained such collections in rooms known as curiosity cabinets, where they spent much time in avid study of natural marvels.The wire mesh screens in the upper doors are modern replacements for earlier ones. During the 1700s cabinetmakers often used screens of gilded or plain wire in place of glass on cabinets for displaying books or natural history specimens.