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A pair of Spanish-colonial Viceregal mother-of-pearl inlaid bureau-cabinets

About the Item

Viceroyalty of Peru, Lima, 18th century, circa 1720-1760 Each with a moulded giltwood cornice and on a foliate carved giltwood base, possibly later and English. The cabinets, with silver mounts, are made of cedar, overall inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The interior is veneered with teak, American crabwood, Gele kabbes, and boxwood. H. 213 x W. 115 x D. 52.5 cm (each) Provenance: Noble collection, United Kingdom; thence by descent These spectacular bureau-cabinets are part of a fascinating production of decorative art and furniture from Lima, the affluent capital of the Spanish Vice-Royalty of Peru. Included are mother-of-pearl covered altarpieces, lecterns, caskets, boxes, tables, coffers, cabinets, and presumably the rarest: impressive bureaux such as the present pair. They are exquisite material examples of cultural cross-pollination in South and Central America, bridging multiple influences from Asia and Europe in a result that is both visually and historically impactful. Indian, Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Arabian influence This pair of cabinets is especially appealing for its shimmering surface of mother-of-pearl veneer, which was described as enconchado in inventories. It has as precursors the ‘Indo-Portuguese’ caskets, jugs and bowls, often silver mounted, produced in the Indian region of Gujarat in the 16th and early 17th centuries. These were shipped from Goa, the Portuguese colonial trade post on the west coast of India, to Portugal intended for the greatest monasteries, cathedrals and palaces of the country. Already in 16th century these lustrous Gujarati caskets, with nacre veneer fastened with silver nails in a fish-scale pattern were considered so precious in Europe that they were classified as jewellery in the inventories of royal collections and even nowadays they still are regarded as the most sought after works of art. The Portuguese used the shimmering treasures from Gujarat as diplomatic gifts, which is how they ended up in the famous Habsburger kunstkammers of Vienna and Dresden. More important in this case are the reliquary caskets and other religious wares that ended up in collections of several Spanish monasteries and churches, as well as the games- boards and table-tops that were centrepieces in the homes of the most notable Spaniards. With the establishment of more Portuguese trade routes within Asia, the Indian mother-of-pearl objects influenced the Japanese lacquer production. In large numbers the Portuguese ordered lacquerware for the purpose of being exported to Europe or big colonial cities like Spanish Manilla. The Spanish Manilla Galleon trade brought these objects to South America and, thus, to the Viceroyalty of Peru. It didn’t take long before there was a true rage for furniture decorated with nacre. However, the Portuguese controlled the market as they had monopolized access to the ports where the pieces could be ordered, such as Gujarat and Japan. Paying high prices, the Spaniards exported the goods to the Viceroyalties, where they enjoyed enormous popularity amongst the affluent class, particularly in Mexico and Peru. It wouldn’t be long before the Spanish brought Asian craftsmen to South America to produce these iridescent works of art themselves. By the 18th century, the regular flow of the Manilla galleons from Manilla to Acapulco introduced an enormous quantity of Asian luxury items in both the Vice-Royalties of New Spain and Peru, with immediate and apparent influences on the local craftsmen and taste of the elites. The Asian influences in technique and motifs arrived from goods and through Asian craftsmen. Japanese and Chinese workers brought the techniques of inlaying materials (lacquer, a sort of gum or tree sap called mastic, wood, tortoiseshell, and much more) with mother-of-pearl. Arabs, who had to ‘convert’ to Christianism before they were allowed to immigrate, brought in Múdejar skills and their distinctive abstract approach to ornament without the imagery of animals or humans, as stated in the Quran. These cabinetmakers with all sorts of backgrounds in Mexico and Peru started to produce the finest inlaid and or veneered furniture and objects in the 17th and 18th centuries in their own style – each influenced by various available techniques and motifs. The most popular among the buyers would eventually become dominant. Reflecting the syncretic nature of the present bureau- cabinets, the floral design of the mother-of-pearl veneers appears to have been inspired by ancient Korean designs from the Joseon or Chosõn Dynasty, seen in porcelain and objects with mother-of-pearl inlays on wood grounds. These designs are also seen in another Peruvian technique, which uses mother-of-pearl inlays on a tortoiseshell ground. However, most Far Eastern mother-of-pearl techniques find their origins in Korea.

Dimensions:

Height: 83.86 in (213 cm)Width: 45.28 in (115 cm)Depth: 83.86 in (213 cm)

Style:

Spanish Colonial (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Mother-of-Pearl,Teak,Inlay

Place of Origin:

Peru

Period:

18th Century

Date of Manufacture:

1720-1760