Lot Nr.348

A hollow book used as secret poison cabinet

Historism, 17th century style
With original, finely embossed parchment cover. Intact book clasps, the pages glued to a solid piece with a central rectangular cavity. The inside finely worked, providing eleven drawers of various sizes and one open compartment. The front of the drawers covered with coloured paper and fitted with flame-carved frames, the knobs of silver and ebonised wood. Handwritten paper labels with the Latin names of different poisonous plants (among them castor-oil plant, thorn apple, deadly nightshade, valerian, etc.). Incl. greenish bottle bearing the label "Statutum est hominibus semel mori" ("It is a fact that man must die one day"). Glued to the inside of the cover an old etching of a standing skeleton bearing the date "1682". Size of the book 36 x 23 x 12 cm.
Elaborately worked Kunstkammer object with strong reference to the memento mori theme.

Condition: II

Limit: 1200 EURO

5200 EURO