17th Century Spanish Bargueño Vargas Cabinet

A Very Fine 17th Century Spanish Bargueño Vargas Cabinet on Later 19th Century Stand.

The Bargueño consisting of banks of drawers and a central door concealing two more small drawers. This style of cabinet was a speciality in Spain with examples being produced for all of the major noble and royal collections of the time in that country. Spanish baroque furniture was frequently a riot of colour and this piece is no exception, retaining as it does much of the original gilding, polychromatic painting and inlaid bone elements, some of which are also painted. The cabinet section is fitted in to an outer walnut "shell" or case with wrought iron elements including side mounted carrying handles.

The stand is a later 19th century addition but it is also in walnut and matches well in terms of its colour and quality despite the difference in age.

At a time when most furniture in England was darkly coloured and often quite simple in decoration, Spanish cabinet makers were producing these glorious pieces which matched the opulence of Catholic cathedrals of the period. These pieces were only ever available to the country's elite who were able to pay the prices asked for such opulence. A very rich and sophisticated piece of regal furniture.