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.

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

These were first painted in England, from the end of the 1580s, initially by Nicholas Hilliard and Isaac Oliver.

Le Baron de Besenval dans son salon de compagnie at the Hôtel de Besenval , by Henri-Pierre Danloux (1791). In 1786, the baron granted Luc-Vincent Thiéry privileged access to this picture cabinet, which he describes in all details in his guide on Paris, published in 1787. Colin B. Bailey notes that this intimate picture "deserves to be known as the single oil painting produced in the 18th century of a French private collector in his picture cabinet." Today the portrait is part of the collections of the National Gallery . [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ]
The Flight into Egypt , by Adam Elsheimer , Alte Pinakothek , Munich. 31 × 41 cm
Saint George Fighting the Dragon by Raphael, Louvre , 31 × 27 cm