Castilian Chest. Walnut Wood, Textile, And Wrought Iron. 17th Century.

Castilian chest. Walnut wood, textile, and wrought iron. 17th century.
Rectangular chest with a flat lid and no legs, decorated with carved moldings on the upper and lower edges of the piece and on the front, avoiding the lock on the front. It is made of metal, placed on a red fabric, and features an openwork composition based on scrolls and other simplified shapes, a decoration that is also present in the rest of the chest's equipment. On the sides, at the front, there are two metal pieces to secure the lid closure; on the sides are the handles, usual in this type of chest, also enhanced with an openwork composition of iron on textile, similar to that of the rest of the elements. The interior is made of exposed wood, with the corresponding hardware (hinges and locks), as well as a division on one side by a section covered in wood. The various openwork fittings follow a tradition already found in chests from the end of the 16th century (compare this example with the 15th-century Gothic chest in the Valladolid Museum, for example), but with decorative motifs of Baroque influence: crosspieces, simplified volutes, curves, etc. The shape of this chest, rectangular with a flat lid, is also the usual shape for this type of furniture from the Gothic period, without any characteristic influence of the 17th century being appreciated in this sense. It is necessary to emphasize the weight that this typology will have in Spanish furniture, since it will last until the 19th century, especially in Andalusia, with slight modifications, the most notable being the transition from decorative elements in openwork iron, as in this example, to the use of gilded brass nails drawing shields, plant themes, etc. The chest responds to what is usual in Castilian models, totally different from those of Catalonia, Valencia and Majorca. Although it was the most common piece of furniture at the time, not many examples remain: compare with the two 17th-century chests in the Museo Casa de Cervantes (CE 202 without the fittings, CE 145 with) in Alcalá de Henares (Madrid). -
Dimensions: 67x171x60 cm