18th Century Spanish Rustic Refectory Dining Table

A beautifully conserved Spanish writing table with mixtilinear “pata de lira” (lyre-shaped legs) displaying zig-zagging curves and undulations, in the Baroque ...

This 18th century Spanish trestle style writing table has a tabletop of one single wide plank, and the leg sections, or trestles, are joined with sliding dovetail joints and fastened...

Completely hand-crafted in 18th century Spain, this sculpture of the Virgin stands 1.5 meters / 5 feet tall and was most certainly created for devotional purposes, to be displayed in a church or chapel. Besides its impressive size this sculpture is an excellent, museum-quality example of the Spanish “Estofado” polychrome technique, developed during the Gothic period to imitate rich brocade fabrics. The finely carved “fabric” areas of the sculpture would be first covered in gesso, and then a layer of gold leaf would be applied. The gold leaf would then be painted over with various colors of tempera paints. Once dry, the painted surface would be incised or scratched away in patterns, revealing the gold beneath. The sculpture was professionally restored in 2022 by a firm that is often hired by the Spanish government to work on historic building interiors and museum pieces. The virgin was carefully cleaned, repaired and its condition stabilized. A complete and fully-illustrated restoration report will be included with purchase. Often confused with the virgin birth of Jesus, the belief that the Blessed Virgin Mary herself was conceived “immaculately” without original sin has been variously defended and debated within the Catholic Church since the pre-Middle Ages. For centuries, artists struggled to create an acceptable visual representation of this highly abstract concept, in part taking inspiration from the Book of Revelation and other scriptural sources. We see the Virgin standing on a half moon (biblically inspired, though also an ancient symbol of chastity) with her long natural hair loose down her back, another indication of purity. Both her white tunic and flowing blue mantle...

An excellent example of the classic dome top Spanish "arcón" or travel chest / trunk. Constructed of wood, the exterior is completely covered in a dark brown leather and the top and front feature studded brass nails arranged in decorative patterns. The nailheads themselves are decorated with raised star shape. The functioning lock mechanism (key included), hasp and side carry handles are original and made of wrought iron. Included are a pair of matching studded leather "feet" or supports which raise the trunk off of the floor allowing air to circulate, thus protecting the bottom from moisture. A solid and useable trunk...

The round top with beautiful signs of wear and character above a frieze containing one deep drawer on a square base, the chamfered legs joined by box stretchers.

A very good quality late 18th century George III Period mahogany oval breakfast table having well Figured oval tilting top with crossbanded decoration Raised on elegant barrel turned...

Elegant and noble French refectory table in Bleached Oak, France,late 18th Century, nice and solid thick table top, warm and worn finish of the wood, ...

A Southern Swiss or North Italian walnut draw-leaf table of elegant, unique design. The draw-leaf mechanism allows flexibility, from seating comfortably six when closed to 10 when e...