Cabinet painting

A rare example of a surviving cabinet with its contents probably little changed since the early eighteenth century is at Ham House in Richmond, London.

As is often the case, it has a view of the front entrance to the house, so that passersby and daily activities can be observed.

The magnificent Mannerist Studiolo of Francesco I Medici in Florence is larger than most examples and rather atypical in that most of the paintings were commissioned for the room.

The leading exponent in the late Renaissance was Giambologna, who produced sizeable editions of reduced versions of his large works, and also made many exclusively in small scale.

The Dutch artists of the seventeenth century had an enormous output of small paintings.

Watteau, Fragonard and other French 18th-century artists produced many small works, generally emphasizing spirit and atmosphere rather than a detailed finish.