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A tall, two-piece dark wood cabinet featuring upper and lower compartments enclosed by double doors, adorned with detailed wood carvings of classical figures.

Renaissance Cabinet

Currently unknown artist or artists

In Europe during the early 1900s, avant-garde artists broke from tradition to express their perceptions of the modern world in radically new ways. However, in Germany and Austria, where old empires fell and young democracies faltered, the Nazi Party promoted traditionalism in the arts and constructed a history of cultural supremacy to help justify its seizure of power. In 1938, Nazi agents confiscated this cabinet from Oscar C. Bondy, a Jewish businessman and collector. Its decorative scheme draws from classical literature, history, and art that experienced a revival in France in the late 1500s. The figures on the doors likely symbolize Abundance, Fortune, Peace, and Fame, and the Roman-style soldier on the top embodies military power. When Bondy acquired this cabinet in 1910, he continued a centuries-old European practice of collecting art to demonstrate social status, education, and taste. The cabinet entered the “Renaissance Room” of his Vienna home alongside other period artworks. After Nazi Germany annexed Austria, Bondy fled and was forced to abandon his possessions. The Nazis seized his collection—including this cabinet—for German museums dedicated to traditional European art. This cabinet has been in the Chazen’s collection since 1969. Until recently, museum staff questioned whether authorities had formally returned the cabinet, stolen by Nazi agents in 1938, after World War II or if it had entered the art market illegally. The identifier KKu 636 chalked on the back of the cabinet led researchers to archived inventories and eventually a list with objects from Bondy’s collection returned to his widow. Chazen staff have used this information and correspondence related to a legal restitution claim to piece together a clearer but still incomplete provenance and timeline for the cabinet. Efforts to further refine this history of ownership and possession are ongoing.
Artist/Maker
Currently unknown artist or artists
Title
Renaissance Cabinet
Date
around 1550–1575
Material & Process
Walnut with marble insets
Dimensions
84 x 43 x 20 in. Overall
Credit
Max W. Zabel Fund purchase
Inventory No.
69.9.2a-b
Classification
Furniture
Location
France

Related

30 April 1910, sold by Julius Böhler (Munich, Germany) to Oscar C. Bondy (Vienna, Austria). 1969, sold by Leopold Blumka Gallery (New York, NY) to Elvehjem Art Center [now called the Chazen Museum of Art] (Madison, WI).

  • Elvehjem Art Center. "Bulletin 1970-1971." Madison: Elvehjem Art Center, 1971. p. 62, no. 38

This tall, two-piece dark wood cabinet features upper and lower compartments enclosed by double doors adorned with detailed wood carvings of classical figures. Its rectangular, symmetrical form is defined by moldings and trim, with mirrored design elements across both sections. The wide lower compartment rests on a heavy base supported by bun-shaped feet. Its central door panels display relief carvings of nude classical figures: the left depicts a figure standing atop a shield and helmet while holding an olive branch, and the right shows a winged figure holding a trumpet and a palm branch. Above the doors is a cornice decorated with a central winged cherub’s face flanked by rectangular inlays of black-and-white veined marble. The upper compartment, narrower in both width and depth, is framed by slender columns. Its door panels also feature nude classical figures: one holding a cornucopia and flowering branch, the other a cornucopia and a sheaf of wheat. Beneath each figure is a relief of two back-to-back winged lions in profile. Above the upper doors, another cornice displays two carved reclining nude figures separated by black-and-white marble inlay. Crowning the cabinet are three wooden sculptures: a central bearded figure in a tunic and helmet holding a shield within an arched niche, flanked by two bare-breasted reclining figures resting on curved, scroll-like bases. The polished wood’s rich, warm brown tones contrast with the smooth black and white marble accents throughout the piece.

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Information about artworks presented here may not reflect the most current research. Chazen staff update records as new details emerge; please verify independently for scholarly use and notify us of any errors.