. Ebony was imported from Asia, among other places. The growing supply of this type of exotic wood opened up new possibilities for cabinetmakers. The craftsmen who specialized in carving the expensive and hard material even formed an independent subgroup within the guild, the ebony workers. The fascination for this dense, hard, gleaming material also led to imitations. The ebony cabinetmaker Herman Doomer used whalebone that he pressed into a mould and coloured black.

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