18th-century Spanish vargueno

Name/Title

18th-century Spanish vargueno

Entry/Object ID

2022.2

Description

18th c. Spanish vargueno with two doors and thirteen drawers inlaid with marquetry and carved bone. Original iron hardware.

Made/Created

Time Period

18th Century

Dimensions

Height

24 in

Width

41-1/2 in

Depth

16 in

Interpretative Labels

Label

A vargueño is a wooden writing cabinet of mixed European and Asian origin that first became popular in colonial Spanish America in the 16th c. Vargueños have a drop front that reveals an interior filled with drawers and recesses for holding letters, jewelry, and valuables. Oftentimes, the drawers are inlaid with precious materials and painted with decorative scenes or intricate designs. The drop front of this elegant vargueño has ornate brass fittings arranged in a symmetrical geometric pattern. The interior contains fifteen elaborately carved drawers ornamented with repeating geometric motifs and Solomonic columns. El vargueño es un escritorio de madera y de origen euroasiático que se volvió popular en la América Virreinal del siglo XVI. Se distinguen por tener una tabla frontal desplegable que al abrirse revela un interior repleto de cajones y nichos en donde guardar cartas, joyas y objetos valiosos. Sus cajones tienen a menudo incrustaciones de materiales costosos, y pueden tener pintadas escenas decorativas o intrincados diseños. La tabla frontal de este elegante vargueño está decorada con accesorios de latón que siguen un patrón geométrico-simétrico. Su interior contiene quince cajones elaboradamente tallados y decorados con columnas salomónicas y motivos geométricos que se repiten.