Cabinet. England, second half of the 17th century

Cabinet. England, second half of the 17th century.
Walnut and ebony root. With hard fossilized stone (Florence).
Carved and gilded wood archimedean of the twentieth century.
Measurements: 74 x 129 x 44 cm; 92 x 125 x 47 cm (frame).

Bargueño made of ebonized walnut wood and adorned with applications of Florentine pietra dura. It follows Italian models of the 17th century, in particular, the bargueños decorated with ivory or bone plates engraved with scenes and diverse figurative motifs, looking for the ornamental richness and also the contrast of colors and textures so much to the taste of the Baroque style. It is a bargueño of uncovered sample, the most widespread typology in Europe in the second half of the seventeenth century, and presents a prismatic structure. The sample is organized in three vertical streets and five horizontal registers, all of them adapted to the architectural scheme. The side streets of the sample are occupied by rectangular drawers decorated with Florentine pietra dura slabs, creating a refined inlay. In the 16th century, Italy began to work with "pietra dura", a technique of inlaying marble slabs of oriental origin (used both in goldsmithing and cabinetmaking in the Near East), but which acquired its own meaning in Florence. During the Baroque period it reached its peak of splendor and was still in use in the 20th century. The panels are covered by an ebonized molding that is also repeated in the fascia lines that separate the central register from the base and the frieze. However, the absolute protagonist of the sample is the central door conceived as a facade with classical reminiscences, flanked by two large lateral pilasters with gilded base and capital. This door opens with a key and lock, revealing drawers inside. It is crowned by a frieze that follows the same aesthetics as the rest of the piece. The architrave stands out for its intense golden color. Of later manufacture, it rises on four claw feet with prominent knees and scrolls at the top. An ornamental play of fretwork and vegetal strings embellishes the waist.