Dressing table with mirror. Spain, second half of the nineteenth century

Dressing table with mirror. Spain, second half of the nineteenth century.
Carved walnut wood, with fruit marquetry Pinyonet.
It has a miniature painted on copper on the top.
It does not have a key.
Measurements: 210 x 96 x 64 cm.

This dressing table with mirror responds to a typology very appreciated in the nineteenth century, conceived as a piece of personal use and representation, which combines functionality, virtuoso craftsmanship and a strong decorative vocation. The marquetry decoration of small geometric pieces, known as grain of rice or pinyonet, appears in Aragon from the 14th century with a clear aesthetic link to Mudejar art. It is inlaid marquetry made with very small pieces of geometric cut, with which larger motifs are drawn as can be seen below.

The set consists of a table with drawers and a large integrated vertical mirror, crowned by a profusely carved top. The structure presents a historicist language, with clear baroque and rococo references, visible in the scrolls, scrolls, cartouches and cabriole legs joined by a central sculptural crosspiece.

The richness and depth of the relief, in the support and the coping, point to a good quality noble wood, such as walnut. As for the pinyonet (also called rice grain) marquetry, possibly pear, boxwood and fruit woods capable of fine detailing were used: geometric and floral motifs. The combination of contrasting light woods creates an elegant chromatic play on the dark background of the piece of furniture.

The lower part is articulated by a table with multiple drawers, with fronts richly decorated by repetitive marquetry. The cabriole legs, with their deep and dynamic carving, reinforce the sculptural character of the piece of furniture and clearly link it to a baroque taste reinterpreted in the 19th century.

The mirror, of generous proportions, is framed by a carved molding with a sinuous profile. An oval, hand-painted copper miniature, representing an idealized female portrait, stands out in the upper crest. This detail is especially significant and reveals a clear desire to enrich the piece of furniture with a pictorial element, a common practice in high-end pieces destined for wealthy bourgeois interiors.