Pietre dure and cabinet, Florence, Grand Ducal workhops, 17th century. Cabinet with ebony veneer and architectural facade. The central door, the lower central panel and the four drawers on each side are decorated with pietre dure panels of flowers and birds. The doors open to reveal two inner doors faced with rosewood. The pediment consists of a moulded ebony cornice with a tympanum inlaid with lapis lazuli surmounted by five gilt bronze statues. The stand has an upper section with three drawers faced in panels of marquetry, the drawer on the right contains five secret drawers lined in silk. The hardstone plaques on this cabinet are pietre dure work made by the Grand Ducal workshops in Florence in the late 17th century. They show birds and flowers composed of carefully chosen semiprecious stones set against a black background. As such they are a typical choice of subject for the era. It is possible that this cabinet was brought to England around 1700 by Daniel Finch (1647-1730), second Earl of Winchelsea and Nottingham. The Earl went to Italy during his Grand Tour from 1665 to 1668 and was deeply impressed by the latest Baroque style he saw in Rome. In fact he had his family estate, Burley-on-Hill remodelled after the latest Roman fashion. Some of the pietre dure birds and the marquetry inlaid birds on the cabinet are in species of finches. It is therefore possible that Daniel Finch ordered the plaques not only as fashionable and luxurious Grand Tour souvenirs, but also as a witty allusion to his family name and crest. Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996. On long-term loan to Los Angeles County Museum from 2010.