Old Master Paintings & Spanish Colonial Art
In wood, polychrome bone, wrought iron fittings and velvet. Exceptional piece due to its rarity and good state of conservation, presenting most of its original elements, measurements: 140 x 105 x 42 cm, provenance: old collection of the Dukes of Medinaceli, a copy of the letter of thanks from Don José de Zorrila is attached to the Duchess found inside. There are two theories developed by the same person. The denomination bargueño, referring to all types of Spanish desks, was used by a curator of the South Kensington Museum, Jose Facundo de Riaño in 1872 for the Catalog of Spanish Artistic Objects, published by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. He attributes the term bargueño to the existence in the Toledo town of Bargas of a group of artisans who would dedicate themselves in the 16th century to the mass production of this piece of furniture, in such a way that the origin was popularized as a denomination, or else, by not have proof of any carpentry or specialized workshop in this municipality, to a carver and carpenter surnamed Vargas. There are two possible theories: which unfortunately cannot be taken for granted. In the 1940s, Riaño’s hypothesis was refuted when the invoices of the Spanish Society were studied and it was shown that there was no solid documentary basis to prove these theories. However, the Royal Academy had already accepted the term in 1914, and it has reached our days as the most common denomination. Reference bibliography: BURR, Grace Hardendorff, Hispanic furniture. With examples in the Collection of the Hispanic Society of America, New York: The Archive Press, 1941, (second edition 1964; in English); Maria Paz Aguilo Alonso. Spanish desks and cabinets. Spanish bargueños and writing chests. Ministry of Economy and Business. Madrid 2018. ISBN:978-84-92546-47-3.
