SILVER WRTITING SET. VICENTE ROCES, ZARAGOZA (SPAIN), CA. 1760.

Silver writing desk. Vicente Roces, Zaragoza, circa 1760. With contrasting marks and initials of belonging on the base. The base tray is square with curvilinear profiles and rests on legs with vegetal motifs. The four vessels have helical fluted feet and flower finials beneath pearls on their lids. A candlestick rises from another vessel, taller than the others and fixed to the tray, with a curved arm ending in a volute, and is joined to it by a hinge. The bell, also with helical fluting, is topped by a figure of a soldier. The quill case has hollows in its lid for quills and is the same size as another of the containers, which was probably the inkwell. Two others, slightly larger, also lack perforated lids and may have been used for drying sand, hence their name, "little sands." The bell, used to summon the servants, secretary, etc., rests on another small jug, similar to the others but much taller, from the top of which the candlestick emerges. Stylistically, the clean lines show a very slight Neoclassical influence, while the helical fluting, the movement of the vessel profiles, and the type of tray (known as "contoured" and very popular in silverware of this century) reflect a strong persistence of Rococo-related styles. Zaragoza continued to be the main silversmithing center of Aragon, with an abundance of surviving pieces, many of them marked, allowing for detailed study. The hallmarks guarantee the quality of the material and allow us to trace the manufacture and the artist of the piece. The locality marks, on the arm of the candlestick, place the work in Zaragoza and date it to between 1760 and 1770. The maker's mark, also there and another on the base, refers to the silversmith Vicente Roces, known for his fine Rococo works such as the Reliquary of Saint Francis Xavier from the last quarter of the 18th century in the Church of Santa María de Sangüesa (Navarra) and others in important private collections. Weight: 1,525 g.

· Size: 18x23x25 cms.