This tabletop was crafted as a commesso di pietre dure, a term used to describe pictures composed of inlaid hardstones and precious minerals. The surface of the tabletop is divided into small fields by wide bands of russet jasper, into which landscapes, trophies, coats of arms and geometric forms are inserted. The symbolism of these motifs reflects the influence of the scientists and philosophers working at the court of Emperor Rudolf II in Prague. The Platonic solids were equated with the elements of cosmology, with tetrahedrons and octahedrons standing for the elements of fire and air respectively.

In the baroque conception of the world, precious stones assumed a similarly prominent position in the hierarchy of nature as did princes in human society, for which reason the ruling nobility identified and legitimised themselves with these stones. In the centre of this tabletop stands the coat of arms, and in the corners the monogram, of Prince Karl I, with whom the House of Liechtenstein’s ascent to Princedom is associated.

The technique of commesso di pietre dure dates back to antiquity, and was again brought to a high level of perfection in Florence around the end of the 16th century. For this reason, such works were also referred to as Florentine mosaics.

This monumental piece of furniture is divided optically into two parts: the cabinet itself and the table with Tuscan pillars upon which it rests. In its architectural structure, the table with its drawers seems like the entablature of a hall of pillars. The centre of the cabinet contains a compartment, the outward-swinging doors of which are flanked by three atlases. When opened, one can make out an elaborately mirrored, colourful inner architecture “in miniature”, behind which a painted scenographic garden landscape appears.

The cabinet is covered almost completely in tortoiseshell and decorated with gilt bronze ornamentation. Particularly in Antwerp, the plates from the back of the hawksbill turtle were used as a covering for furniture. Tortoiseshell is easy to work with. It can be sawn into translucent plates, as well as bent and moulded through the application of heat. The flamed plates could be backed with red foil or dyed to intensify their vividness.

The Golden Carriage is one of the finest-quality examples of 18th century Parisian carriage making. Only few such vehicles survived the turmoil of the French Revolution.

Numerous documents in the Princely Archives reveal details concerning its construction and use. Contemporary reports and pictorial accounts of public events in which it was driven serve to illustrate its significance.

Its construction was occasioned by Prince Joseph Wenzel of Liechtenstein’s appointment as imperial ambassador to the French court in 1737. The Prince commissioned the interior architect Nicolas Pineau to design five carrosses d’ambassadeur. They were the highlight of the magnificent accoutrements for his festive entrée into Paris on 21 December 1738 and at Versailles two days later. The imposing procession consisted of more than 50 coaches pulled by horses from the Princely stud in Eisgrub.

The name “Golden Carriage” is not historical, but rather probably originated during the second half of the 19th century. The ceremonial vehicle represented a new, elegant type of carriage in the 18th century — the berlin de suite — and its filigree formal design marks the transition to the rococo. Its painted decoration does not, as was typically the case, depict the virtues of a ruler. Instead, frolicking amoretti symbolise the four elements and the four seasons. It is likely that they were the work of artists from the atelier of François Boucher.

When the future Emperor Joseph II became engaged to the Bourbon Princess Isabella of Parma, Joseph Wenzel had the honourable task of accompanying the bride to Vienna. Martin von Meytens documented the festive entrée of the princess in a painting which shows the Golden Carriage as the climax of the magnificently staged event.