This elaborate French ebony cabinet set on a matching stand is of a type produced for the French court in the middle of the 17th century. Ebony, a dense, hard, nearly black wood imported from India, was the most fashionable material for cabinets. Skilled woodworkers who made these cabinets came to be called ébénistes, in recognition of the wood they used most. This sumptuous cabinet is attributed to Pierre Gole, a Dutch-born craftsman who was appointed ébéniste to Louis XIV in 1651. The rich decoration consists of bas-reliefs inspired by contemporary prints and freestanding sculpture depicting the kings and prophets of Israel. Gole used scenes from the Old Testament as models for the reliefs on the interior and exterior of the cabinet. The doors of the cabinet open to reveal a Baroque theatrum mundi (theater of the world). On an ornate stage with exaggerated receding perspective, gilt-bronze figures reenact the crucial moment of the Judgment of Solomon. Concealed within this collector's cabinet are dozens of small drawers to hold precious items.