Lot 273
New World, northern Mexico, Spanish Colonial period, ca. 1775 CE. A trio of wooden pieces of furniture from colonial Mexico. One is a carved trunk or chest, known as a "caja", which would have been part of a woman's dowry. It is painted red, with raised, gilded motifs of flowers and diamonds on the top, front, back, and sides. The interior and underside are undecorated. Large, painted steel hinges and a lock give the piece a beautiful functionality. The other are two matched chairs with seashell motifs on their three-railed backs and on their stretchers. Woven rattan forms the seats. Gold paint highlights the seashells, while the rest of the wooden frame of each chair is painted a bright, cheerful red. Size of each chair: 17.5" L x 20.5" W x 45.5" H (44.4 cm x 52.1 cm x 115.6 cm); size of trunk: 20.75" L x 40.25" W x 24.2" H (52.7 cm x 102.2 cm x 61.5 cm)
Northern Mexico during this period was relatively isolated from the rest of the Spanish Empire and had to be self-sufficient, especially when it came to large goods like these that would have been very expensive to transport from the shops of Mexico City. Numerous carpentry shops, run by skilled "carpinteros", sprang up in the region to supply settlers with beautiful storage chests like this one, cupboards, and other pieces of furniture like tables and these chairs. They worked with local junipers and ponderosa pines, types of wood that are likely to crack along the grain, and as a result toned down the more ornate elements of Baroque decoration of Spanish pieces to create a style uniquely their own. Local metalsmiths created the hinges and locks and these items played a huge role in home decoration. At this time, northern Mexican homes - like homes throughout the Spanish Empire - were simple, with furniture used to store most things (rather than having built-in cabinets, for example). Furniture was expensive and prized, and passed down through families as heirlooms.
Provenance: private Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA collection
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#124496
- Condition: Wood on all pieces has expected wear from age and handling and some stable cracks from drying. Some of the gold paint, especially on the top of the trunk, has worn, but in general the paint is in good condition. The woven rattan on the chair's seats is in excellent condition and may have been replaced at some time in the past.
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