Silver Desk. Vicente Roces, Zaragoza, Circa 1760.

Silver writing desk. Vicente Roces, Zaragoza, circa 1760.
With contrasting marks and ownership initials on the base.
The base plate is square in shape with mixed linear profiles and rests on plant-patterned feet. All four containers have helical scalloped feet and pearl-like finials on the lids. A candlestick emerges from another container, taller than the others and attached to the plate, with a curved arm terminating in a volute, to which it is attached by a hinge. The bell, also with helical scalloped edges, is surmounted by a figure of a soldier. The pen holder, whose lid is pierced with holes for pens, is the same size as another container, which was probably the inkwell. Two others, slightly larger, also have no perforated lids and may have been used for drying sand, hence their name 'areillos'. The bell, which was used to call the office, the secretary, etc., has as its base another small jar, similar to the others but much taller, from which the candlestick emerges. From a stylistic point of view, the clean lines show a very slight influence of Neoclassicism, while the helical festoons, the movement of the profiles of the containers and the type of top (called "contours" and very popular in the silversmithing of this century) reflect a strong survival of models linked to Rococo. Zaragoza continued to be the main silver center of Aragon, with an abundance of preserved pieces and many marked, allowing for a detailed study. The hallmarks ensure the quality of the material and allow us to locate the manufacture and the author of the work. The locality marks, on the arm of the candlestick, place the work in Zaragoza, and date it as having been made between around 1760 and 1770. The craftsman marks, also there and another one on the base, allude to the silversmith Vicente Roces, known for his fine works in the Rococo style such as the Reliquary of Saint Francis Xavier from the last quarter of the 18th century in the Church of Santa María de Sangüesa (Navarra) and some others in important private collections.
Weight: 1,525 gr. · Size: 18x23x25 cms