WEDDING CHEST. WOOD, TEXTILE, METAL, REMAINDERS OF POLYCHROMY. SALAMANCA AREA, SPAIN, 17TH CENTURY.

Chest. Carved wood, metal, textile, remains of polychromy. Salamanca area, 17th century. Rectangular chest with a flat lid made of carved wood that preserves remains of the original polychromy, corners and other metal fittings and textile details in certain places. It is decorated on the outside with a moulding in its lower area based on curved motifs and a simple carved decoration with a plant theme arranged in a rigid symmetry highlighting an inscription in capital letters on the front (“Long live María / Fernandez”) alluding to the original owner of the piece. On the inside it has no decoration or other elements than the parts of the fittings of the corresponding hinges and the exposed wood. The rectangular, flat-lidded chest model was very common in Spanish art since the Middle Ages, with its decorative elements varying over time and with the styles. The metal elements of the piece of furniture (corner guards on red fabric, lock shield on the front, hinges on the inside, handles on the sides for moving it, etc.) have a decoration of waves and finials that refer to Baroque models, as well as columns (flanking the keyhole). The carved decoration on the front (simplified flowers, stems, leaves and perched birds, with simple polychromy in three colours - red, green, yellow -) is not too fine (something common in popular examples), and follows a composition and colours very common in popular chests in the Salamanca area, with the use of walnut being common for its construction (as in all Spanish furniture, due to the resistance of the wood and its abundance at that time). The addition of a female name in capital letters on the front (a detail that would indicate that this piece of furniture is a chest made to store a wedding trousseau, hence the abundance of decoration in a popular utilitarian piece and the presence of a lock with a key) is another element worth highlighting in this piece of furniture. A similar model is mentioned in one of the most used reference books on Spanish furniture, ENRIQUEZ ARRANZ, Maria Dolores. Spanish furniture in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. 1951. p. 39; cat. no. 74; plate 74; Beautiful example of a bridal chest or chest, popular Spanish style of the 17th century, with rudimentary carvings forming a series of stems, flowers and animals. It is polychrome and bears the name of its owner in the centre: 'Long live Maria Hernandez', .

· Size: 58x162x65 cms.