Fernandino-style dressing table with mirror. Spain, first third of the 19th century

Fernandino-style dressing table with mirror. Spain, first third of the 19th century.
Mahogany-veneered wood with fruitwood marquetry and gilded details.
In good overall condition, consistent with its age.
Measurements: 187 x 102 x 51 cm.

Provenance: Estate of Ramon Martí Alsina and Ricard Martí Aguiló.
Artistic and heritage collection originating in the legacy of Catalan painters Ramon Martí Alsina (1826–1894), a seminal figure of 19th-century Catalan Realism, and his son Ricard Martí Aguiló (1857–1935).

Passed down and enriched across successive generations, the collection brings together works from the original holdings of both artists alongside acquisitions made by their descendants. Dedicated to preserving and recovering the family legacy, the descendants actively reacquired works by the painters as they entered the market, progressively expanding the collection to encompass paintings, sculptures, archaeological artifacts, and other items of artistic and historical significance.
This dressing table is a fine example of Spanish furniture from the Fernandino period, characterized by the continued use of neoclassical design elements and the influence of the Empire style, adapted to a more decorative aesthetic. The deep-toned mahogany serves as a backdrop for elaborate light-wood marquetry depicting plant and symmetrical motifs, particularly prominent on the front and side panels.

The structure combines a lower section with a slightly sinuous profile and a low shelf with a rectangular mirror supported between turned columns. The gilded capitals and moldings introduce ornamental hallmarks that reinforce the architectural character of the piece. The richness of the marquetry—which is also applied to the columns—is one of the piece’s principal decorative features and is characteristic of the hallmarks of contrasting woods that are typical of early 19th-century Spanish furniture.