”BARGUEÑO”. TORTOISESHELL, WALNUT, ROSE WOOD, WROUGHT IRON. 17TH CENTURY.

Bargueño. Tortoiseshell, rosewood, walnut, gilt bronze, wrought iron. 17th century. A display desk made of wood, with a projecting central section featuring an architecturally composed chapel-like structure and an upper level dominated by a lobed piece. Each side has four drawers with tortoiseshell fronts and an elaborate gilt bronze keyhole escutcheon (two grotesques flanking vegetal motifs towards the center and two mascarons above and below the keyhole). The central front has two levels: the lower level features four columns, two on each side, with a series of gilt metal elements in the center, among which, sheltered under a splayed semicircular arch and crafted in gilt bronze, stands out the figure of Minerva (the Roman goddess associated with intelligence and closely linked to the Greek Athena; she was also associated with wisdom, warfare as a tactical concept, weaving, etc.), showing a marked Italian influence; the upper level features moldings forming recessed panels, with a quatrefoil piece in the center highlighted by a gilt bronze garland. The finial consists of an openwork gilt bronze "railing" alternating with tortoiseshell pieces, topped with birds on spheres, and in the center, an architectural composition that echoes the lower section of the piece (a central space with a semicircular arch featuring a sculpture of Minerva, columns, grotesques, etc.). It rests on spheres with gilt claws. Opening the central niche reveals five drawers, each with two molded tortoiseshell rectangles in the center and small gilt bronze rings with decorations. The general scheme of the furniture corresponds to a model that was widespread and 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 is usually seen in its fronts 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: Totales: 154X51X220 cms. Bargueño 133x44x138 cms.