Larch as a Construction Material in Flemish Cabinetmaking of the Seventeenth Century: Dendrochronological Survey of a Larch Construction Panel of Flemish Metamorphoses Curio Cabinet RA 408 in the State Chateau Rájec nad Svitavou (Czech Republic)

Abstract

ABSTRACT In the Rájec nad Svitavou chateau there is a Flemish cabinet from the period from about 1650–1680 decorated with scenes from Ovid's metamorphoses. The cabinet comes from the former collections of the house of Salm. The provenance is attributed to one of the suppliers of the Forchondt family art dealership. This cabinet was the subject of a conservation treatment in 2020. During this intervention, various surveys were completed. One of them was a dendrochronological survey of the larch construction panel found at the bottom of the cabinet. The presence of coniferous wood in the structure, together with the found inscription from 1845, called into question the authenticity of the cabinet. Dendrochronology proved that the larch panel was entirely contemporary and came from the French Maritime Alps. The last datable annual ring from an annual ring series of over 200 years was dated back to 1651. The cabinet case is certainly not the product of nineteenth century repairs in Prague. The result of dendrochronology is clear evidence of the use of imported softwoods in the manufacture of cabinets in Antwerp. The material was probably imported for the manufacturing of ships for the Dutch fleet, and the leftovers were sold on the local market. It can be assumed that more examples like this will appear in the future and should not be surprising.