Click the photographs to enlarge which are part of the visual description.  Colours may differ due to any flash used.  

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This is a really fascinating antique 17th Century European wood table cabinet.
I only bought this at the last minute from a live auction and without actually seeing what I was going to buy.. I liked the title of the lot.
It was only 10 minutes ago when I first looked at the cabinet to describe it here for you all that I discovered the interest of the cabinet.
So.... as you can see by the photographs it is a pokerwork - pyrographed - pen work cabinet.
It has had some later alterations - additions and has knocks, bruises, holes, splits and is not the best looking box in the world. It is ONLY when you start looking closer you see the intrigue of it.
As I say it has had a fairly rough life by the look of it.... the iron hinges you see on it now are certainly later additions.. the original hinges have been the sort of WIRE ones you find on oak boxes of the same period holding gold coin scales. You can see the wire is still in situ in the doors and the older holes where they have been attached.
The fresh iron strap hinges have been put on in antiquity.. they are not recent.
So it has the wider wood around the top and base to protect the box.. this is slightly loose at the top right hand corner and has bits missing from it in places.
The front doors have the brass key hole escutcheon  and an iron key in the lock.. this again is a later key type.. its not period to the cabinet....and furthermore it does NOT work the lock.. but allows you to pull on it to open the door.
The left hand door has 2 brass period catches top and bottom which still work and lock the door in position....and you will see the door is shaped at these two areas to allow you to put your fingers in easier to open and close these catches.
Inside it has an inner central round topped door which has poker work design on the front and back. It too has a key hole and lock behind with a modern key to fit it.. this lock does work with this key but its NOT the right key for it.
Looking at this inner door.. see it has a small hole for a KNOB and around the key hole the wood is damaged slightly from age, use and wear.
A long open area at both the top and bottom and two smaller openings at both sides of the central door.
You will find the wood has split and has holes in these areas.. the bottom may actually have once had a draw.. but its now missing....I only say this as there is a short bit of wood on the inside left which is a runner for a draw I think... the right side bit is missing.
The back is plain wood and the iron nails are loose to the top wood.. this bit of wood is split as well.
Please do not let the splits - loose boards - knocks - bruising - age and wear put you off this box as I think the poker work pictures are interesting.
More research from you folks that understand what you are looking will in time identify the FORTIFIED PORT which is pictured on the double front doors.
I only saw this was a fortified port 20 mintutes ago now since starting this description as I do not take the photographs of my items.. I have someone else doing that. 
It is very interesting and reminds me of a 17th Century map and really thats what it is.. someone will KNOW where this is a picture of as these fortified towns - cities - ports would be all different.
These fortifications are the angles types.. straight lines and pointy angles.. with inner angles of the same type.... ramparts.
The more I look at it the more I can see... at first its all abit of a blur....and then you start to work out certain angles and shapes and what they represent.
So from what I can see now ....at the top left hand side of the map there is not much going on apart from a HORSEMAN which is now behind the top strap hinge.. you can see his head and the horses head.. it has vegetation - flowers depicted as well and outer  fortifications of the town... just above the bottom strap hinge I can see another sailing ship and one behind the strap hinge, so the coastline can be seen too... right at the bottom left door it has a rowing boat and another sailing ship.
The right hand door has more going on ... starting at the top... vegetation and trees and possible hills.. outer fortifications and 2 soldiers stood on here with rifles which of course during this period they would be early black powder muskets ...they are firing and pointing towards the hinges side.. opposite them are at least 3 other men wearing different clothing holding shields and spears - swords, one may have a musket too and its depicted being long and a mushroom like design at the end of it.. as though he has just fired. !! but of course this may be some sort of other weapon too.
Then trees below and finally it has 2 sailing ships at the bottom as well ...one of which is behind the strap hinge.
Inside the fortified walls it has houses and bulidings and roads.. at the left hand side you can see a river running thru the town and it has a bridge over it which is a building too with 2 windows.
Around the whole picture it has a rope design and the outer frame.
I will just mention here too it has a small decorative PUNCH mark on the wood which is a small diamond shape which is made from 9 fine dots arranged in a diamond shape.... these punch marks are not uniform ...so they are hand punched in and go up the front two sides.. can be seen very well at the right hand side and faint on the left.. they are also visible around the very top of the box too.. which is all over the place but in a sort of line.. it goes onto the outer wood , inner wood and right on the join of the architrive. 
Also to note just here.. on the top of the front doors is a slight scuffed worn mark which has worn away the poker work.
Now to the left hand side of the cabinet it has a gentleman stood under an arch, well dressed and wearing a hat too, vegetation by his feet. The same rope like design around the main picture....it has a small repair of wood on this panel .. top left hand side...its a slight different colour.
Right hand end has a similar arch and rope edge frame with another figure.. hat is in the left hand .... could be a gent bringing flowers actually.. vegetation around too.
Now to the front doors again... open them. See how well they fit together on the top and front edge chamfers.
The left hand door has a LADY pictured.. and the right door a GENT ...facing in over - each other. Both in the arch and with the rope edge design frames and the vegetation around.
The lady is holding flowers and the gent has something in his right hand ?.
The central inner door has the arch top it too has a poker work figure of a lady facing left wearing a dress.. and necklace with her hand out towards the lady figure....again the same arch design and rope edge frame too.
Open this little door and look on the back to see FLOWERS depicted.. whilst opening this little door.... LOOK at the hinges.. these are simple WIRE type...same as the doors would have had when made as well..... the strap hinges are later additions as allready mentioned ...but done in antiquity.. not recent.
Whilst I am looking at the inside of the cupboard cabinet now I can see it probably used to have little DRAWERS in the other holes too.. all long since lost.. I can deduce this from the circular wear marks on the back of the doors in certain places.. they can be seen best on the LADY left side. ...there are 4 and on the gents side only 2 areas can be seen. ...as well as that.. looking closer at the openings I can see a fine line just on the inner edge of the openings, these are seperate bits of wood onto the fronts and its varnished to this point and inside its not.
It is a really FABULOUS antique cabinet and would be a great talkign point now for the collector .. it would make a great COLLECTORS cabinet too with all your own items in it. Any number of small things coins - medals - seals - thimbles - linen - miniature items - rocks n minerlals - fossils .. all sorts of things.
The cabinet is approx 14 inch wide x 13 and half inch tall x 7 and half inch deep. ..it weighs approx.....3 and a half kilos.. so will be sent overseas by GLOBAL PRIORITY....the best, quickest and safest way to send anything overseas.
I would be really interested to know if someone can IDENTIFY the fortified port on the front of the cabinet and tell me which country the box originates from. Spain or Italy ?             


 See close up, enlarged pictures for more details and condition.

Please see close up pictures for more detail. 

   The item(s) are shown next to an English 1 penny which is 20mm dia for scale.

Conversion ... approx... 2.5cm = 25mm = 1 inch 

If you have any questions, please contact me via ebay messages...go to OTHER question.

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