Museums

This is one of the largest objects in our art collection.

Designed by Diego de Medina it was created to hold its owner’s most valued possessions. Such cabinets were important tools in conveying virtue, authority and wealth – attributes deemed essential for people holding positions of authority and leadership. This cabinet tells the story of Quixote de la Mancha through a series of images engraved onto the front panels. The Spanish novelist and playwright Miguel de Cervantes wrote Don Quixote in 1605. Don Quixote is a country gentleman who sets out to restore chivalry and the romance and honour of knight-errantry. Unfortunately he misjudges every situation and mistakes inns for castles, windmills for giants and criminals for victims. Don Quixote and his squire Sancho Panza travels far across Spain discussing the meaning of life and the nature of reality.