Bargueño. Spain or Italy, 17th century

Bargueño. Spain or Italy, 17th century.
Coniferous wood structure; bronze; bone; tortoiseshell.
Later buffet, 19th century.
Measurements: 204 x 151 x 46 cm.

Spanish or Italian desk made with a coniferous wood structure partially ebonized on the outside and veneered with tortoiseshell plates of intense red color; the set stands out for its lavishness.

Unlike the models of previous decades, this desk has an open top, with no doors to protect the interior. This open arrangement reflects a trend typical of the second half of the 17th century, when the functional nature of the desk, initially conceived to hold documents and valuable objects, gradually gave way to its ornamental dimension. The elimination of the doors allowed the richness of the materials and the architectural complexity of the composition to be permanently exhibited.

The exhibition is organized in three streets following a tripartite scheme, of clear architectural inspiration, evoking the façade of a baroque temple. In the center is a chapel with a niche to house a round sculpture, usually a figure in gilded bronze, now disappeared. This niche is flanked by two columns in the form of a stipe. On both sides of the chapel there are five drawers on each side, framed by brass moldings and fillets. The feet are of ball, with applications of openwork bronze.

Crowning the whole is an openwork gallery profusely ornamented with openwork vegetal motifs and pinnacles as a finial. The sides of the cabinet hide ingenious secret compartments behind small doors concealed as pilasters, which are accessed by means of locks. The desk rests on a buffet of later date, dating from the 19th century, a frequent addition at the time.

Originally, desks emerged as storage furniture, designed to protect documents and valuables. However, during the 17th century their function evolved towards the representative, as they became status symbols, true works of art where the combination of exotic materials expressed the power of their owners.