Cabinetmaker and ivory carver Herman Doomer (c. 1595-1650), born in Anrath in Germany, lived in Amsterdam from 1613 until his death in 1650. He specialised in ebony, and this tropical wood was relatively easy to obtain in the commercial hub of Amsterdam. Picture frames were the main product at Doomer’s workshop. In fact Doomer probably also supplied frames to Rembrandt: in 1640, the latter painted portraits of Herman Doomer and his wife Baertje Martens. It is an indication of his success as a cabinetmaker that he was able to afford portraits by one of the most famous and expensive artists of the day. The paintings are now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; the Rijksmuseum possesses a superb cabinet with decorative inlay by Doomer.
