Chirk Cabinet

Acquisition of cabinet, traditionally believed to be a gift from Charles II to Sir Thomas Myddelton in recognition of his support for the Royalist cause during the Civil War. It has been at Chirk Castle since 1716, when it was recorded in the first known inventory of the contents. Elaborate cabinets such as this, with silver-mounted ebony and tortoiseshell inset with painted panels, were a speciality produced in Antwerp in the mid 17th century.