BARGUEÑO OR DESK OR CABINET. WOOD, IRON, ETC. SPANISH SCHOOL, 16TH CENTURY.

Writing desk or bargueño with a bridge base. Wood, iron, bronze, etc. Spanish school, late 16th century. With secret drawers. A covered display wastepaper basket sits atop a carved wooden stand, known as a "bridge foot" due to its shape. The stand is decorated with reliefs of architectural and vegetal elements in a classical style and features a drawer with two handles and a key lock (the lock shield depicts a double-headed eagle). The exterior is adorned with cut-out metal appliqués (featuring simplified geometric and vegetal motifs) mounted on fabric. These appliqués have handles on the sides and pulls (two on the front), as well as a large appliqué serving as the background for the lid's lock. The lock itself is decorated with architectural elements and a strong classical influence. Opening the front reveals the display, which has three levels and several sections (these sections do not correspond to the different levels). The lower level features marquetry decorations of geometric elements on the sides (two drawers on each side) and an architectural facade in the center (one drawer) with two small handles. The central level has two small chapels on either side with a door decorated with an architectural facade with rustication and a narrow box and a wider one above, decorated at the front with geometric shapes, and an architectural front in the center, which extends towards the upper level (reminiscent of Roman Triumphal Arches, with figurative elements); the upper level has two boxes on each side of that extension of the lower level, decorated again with geometric motifs. This composition of a triumphal arch, extending from the middle level to the upper level, shows, in the central arch of the lower section, a male figure on horseback, dressed in classical style and wearing a laurel wreath, as if he were a Roman Emperor. Compare this horseman with an engraving (a copy in the British Museum, London, inventory 1957,0413.166) from the series “Imperatorum XII” depicting Julius Caesar (the inscription “C. IVULIVS C.” appears on the horse's reins of the figure on the wastepaper basket). This engraving was made by Adriaen Collaert, following Jan van der Straet, and published by Philips Galle in Antwerp, dated around 1587. The upper section features a nude female figure, flanked by a warrior and a bearded “wild man” (iconography that was very common in Spain from the Renaissance onward). The bottom part has one drawer, the middle part another (right where the rider is) and the sides move, hiding more drawers, another drawer at the top. A male figure dressed in period clothing and set within an architectural frame also features a writing desk or wastepaper basket dating from the mid-17th century, which is held in the National Museum of Decorative Arts in Madrid, Spain (inventory CE01738), although this one is on public display. The layout of the streets and levels is reminiscent, for example, of another one in Salamanca, of the more common type with small columns, also dating from the 17th century and held in the same institution (inventory CE01152). These pieces of furniture (used to store important documents and small valuables) are among the most common and highly regarded types of 17th-century Castilian furniture. They retain details from examples common in various 16th-century Spanish styles, along with some early foreign influences (particularly Italian) and a strong persistence of distinctly Spanish features. Their influence remained strong well into the 20th century. Exterior decorations and the arrangement of drawers and interior niches varied. The distinctive character of the Spanish style in the 17th century was so strong that it prevented the penetration of foreign influences, especially from France due to the unfavorable diplomatic situation at the time. This resulted in a significant influence on the rest of Europe, where French models largely prevailed. The 17th century was a period of decline in Spain, and this was particularly evident in furniture. Pieces were not as luxurious as those found in other countries, a fact also determined by the edicts against luxury issued by the monarchs. However, Spanish furniture from the Baroque period exhibits considerable quality, a strong personality, and, above all, great interest in terms of typology and the prioritization of functionality over decoration. It is also worth noting the increased value placed on furniture compared to the previous century. Inventories of goods reveal significant changes, with furniture, during the reign of Charles II, becoming even more expensive than tapestries. The present example is a less common type of closed-fronted wastepaper basket, distinguished by its bridge-shaped base with a drawer.

· Size: 110x60x153 cms