Although in the German states the new Baroque centres of Munich, Bamberg and Würzburg developed alongside important Renaissance cities such as Augsburg, Nuremberg and Ulm, Augsburg, an old and renowned centre for goldsmith's art, still remained the nucleus for grandiose furniture. It may have been there that this bureau cabinet - embellished with pewter line-inlay intarsia and tendrils with acanthus leaves - was made. The gable features the year of production, 1714. The principal roles on the piece are given to the square, baluster-like, legs; the curved, animated surfaces; and the scrolls and arches creating contrasts between light and shade. The piece is characterised by enormous size, spectacular shape and an almost theatrical pomp. Kindred works are to be found in the castles of Germany's Lower Franconia.

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