Im on a roll and I cant stop. More Philippine muebles enconchados... Muebles Enconchados: Papelero de Marqueses de la Pica 17th Century FILIPINO (attributed as Bolivian) Of Kamagong or ebony wood with profuse mother of pearl inlay of white vegetal and floral design on a sheet tortoiseshell. The papelero stands on an ebony stand with the top decorated in similar design. A superb mother-of-pearl inlaid Papelero. A Papelero is the Spanish Renaissance precursor to the modern desk. It was a chest of drawers used for storing papers and writing instruments. They are usually smaller than bargueños and lack the flip-down writing lid. They generally have small, turned feet. And in many of smaller examples, they may be bound with iron. In this particular case, this Papelero is of significant size and decorated to be an important piece of display furniture. It is used to signify wealth. And its intricate detail denotes the owner’s rank. This Papelero is constructed as two separate, small cabinets standing on a table. It is of a trapezoidal shape (meaing it is a quadrilateral with only one pair of parallel sides) with three front panels. The back is flat, backplane board. The upper cabinet features four drawers while the lower one have seven with the demarcation of the niches decorated with ebony columns (in this case four columns) topped with acanthus leaf motif made of ormolu of a design similar to the Pereda Armario and the Bargueno pictured earlier. The central panel is indented and the niche covered with a painting of St. Barbara richly dressed and holding her attributes of a tower and the palm of martyrdom. The tops of both cabinets are surmounted by the pierced gallery cornice of which the design and execution closely parallels those found on the Pereda Armario and the Filipino Bargueno posted earlier. This pierced gallery cornice seems to be a recurring feature – and is a hallmark – of Philippine made enconchado furniture and works of art. The table holding the papelero is also of hexagonal form. It is made of ebony wood the tops of which are inlaid with mother-of-pearl in geometric patterns and the shapes of flowers and leaves. The ebonized table is mounted on four turned legs with ebony crosspieces. The whole stands on small ebony ball-shaped feet. The state of conservation is good. Dimensions: 60 cm D X 246 cm H X 82.5 cm W or 24” D X 98.4” H X 33” W Provenance: Currently in the Museum of Decorative Arts in Santiago, Chile Acquired as a permanent loan (Commodato) from the Domincan Order of Santiago, Chile in September 9, 1998. Bequeathed to the convent of the Recoleta Dominica by Doña Aldunate Irarrázabal y Bravo de Saravia in the 18th century. By familial descent to Doña Aldunate Irarrázabal y Bravo de Saravia. By descent in the Bravo de Saravia Family of Santiago, Chile Acquired by Don Francisco Bravo de Saravia, 1st marquis of Pica, Field Marshall and mayor of Santiago in the 17th century. Note 1: This example of enconchado furniture is considered one of the two great pieces of enconchado works of art found in Chile. It was originally attributed to Bolivia but I am now changing the attribution to Filipino workshops of the 17th century. Note 2: Francisco Bravo de Saravia and Ovalle Osorio Caceres and Pastene, Ist Marquis de la Pica (Santiago, 1628 - August 28, 1703) was a Spanish soldier and politician. He was Sergeant Major of the Kingdom of Chile and Field Marshall. He was alderman and subsequently mayor of Santiago. He was the encomendero of Pullally, Illapel Curinón and Llopeo. He was created Marquis of Pica by Royal Decree of July 18, 1684. The Marquis died on August 28, 1703 and buried in the family chapel. He was joined in death by his wife on January 24, 1710, Photography by Jorge Ossorio Fom the website of the Documentation Center of Chilean State Property (CDBP).
Posted on: Sat, 14 Jun 2014 02:03:19 +0000
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