Bargueño. Naples, 17th century

Bargueño. Naples, 17th century.
Ebonised wood, tortoiseshell and gilded bronze.
Measurements: 220 x 155 x 50 cm.
Bargueño of uncovered sample and special ornamental richness. It combines tortoiseshell, ebonised wood and gilded bronze applications. It has a prismatic structure of architectural inspiration and includes an upper runner. It is raised on claw feet with a ball and has side handles with a central lens. The display is organised into three sections, the side sections each containing four drawers, and the central section with a niche flanked by columns whose temple-shaped design continues on the top. Each of the drawers is veneered in tortoiseshell and shaped in ebonised wood with metal fillets. Sculptures with shields and spears in the manner of Greek Athenaeas decorate the pavilion. Other effigies in gilded metal depict griffins and faunus masks. The tracery of the upper corridor harmonises with the fretwork of the keyholes. The table, with its Solomonic legs, has an iron fastener.