ITALIAN STYLE “BARGUEÑO”, TORTOISESHELL AND WOOD, 18TH CENTURY.
Antiques - Furniture
Reference: Z6811
Italian-style bargueño, 18th century. Tortoiseshell, wood and gilt bronze. A display desk made of wood, with a projecting central section featuring a double niche of architectural composition. Each side has five drawers with tortoiseshell fronts and an elaborate gilt bronze lock shield (two facing rampant lions, set upon a garland, with a crowned shield between them containing the keyhole). The center of the front has two levels: the lower level features four columns with entasis, two on each side, joined by an entablature and a dark wood finial, and a series of gilt metal elements in the center, among which, sheltered under a semicircular arch, stands out the figure of Hercules fighting Cacus (the giant who terrorized the Palatine Hill before the founding of Rome); the upper level features moldings forming recesses, with a prominent heraldic shield in the center, all enhanced with volutes towards the sides, and various gilt metal elements of classical inspiration. The overall design of the furniture follows a model that was widespread and highly valued in 17th-century Europe, of which the best examples have generally been those of Italian manufacture, and which continued into the 18th century without breaking the compositional clarity that it displays in this front panel, but changing slight decorative details and elements in the area of the central chapel, above all. The practice of using tortoiseshell in furniture resurfaced in Europe during the 17th century. The high price and demand for furniture made with sea turtle shells can be explained by the scarcity of the material, which had to be imported (usually from Central America), and the fact that its production required highly skilled labor. As is typical for this type of furniture, also called "paper cabinets" because they contained important documents, tortoiseshell inlays were often adorned with gilded metal decorations, with bronze being a common material for this purpose.
· Size: 69x137x160 cms.
12.000 €
Special Offer, disc. -20%, before 15.000 €!
