Drop-front desk on chest (Vargueño)

17th century

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 535

The intricate geometric patterning of this distinctively Spanish type of traveling desk shows the fondness for Islamic design that survived long after the Reconquest.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Title: Drop-front desk on chest (Vargueño)
Date: 17th century
Culture: Spanish
Medium: Carved, gilded, and partly gilded painted bone; wrought iron
Dimensions: Total H.: 63-3/8 in. (160 cm);
a) 38 x 44 x 17 in. (96.5 x 111.8 x 43.2 cm);
b) 27 x 43 x 16-3/8 in. (68.6 x 109.2 x 41.6 cm)
Classification: Woodwork-Furniture
Credit Line: Gift of the Duchesse de Richelieu, 1960
Object Number: 60.52a, b
Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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