CATÀLEG

      SECRETER  
Beltrán Ausó Collection

Mahogany, banús and silver whips
h: 36.5 cm; w: 28 cm; e: 52.5 cm
1751

 

Prismatic case in mahogany wood, made in Havana, Cuba. Upper lid with metal fronts and convex profile. Fitted with coffers with ring handles and silver panel lining. Interior dividers and secret compartment at the top in mahogany wood. On the back of the lid, small decorated doors with interior glass. Side handles for transport. Small pots finished in a ball. Consists of a matching tray with the same wood secretaire, with small flattened ball-ended pots in the Queen Anne style. It is fitted with a light cornice, two coffers and a skirt with a light mixtilini edge and central decoration of flounces.
It is decorated with inlaid silver carved with arabesques on the corners of the coffers, the sides and the top of the lid and tray. The front of the inner doors is covered in brocade fleece with fleurs-de-lis, the emblem of the house of the Bourbons. The coffers are framed by a cordonet of dots in the same wood and decorated with banus fillets. It has a silver plaque, located on the front of the piece, with a certificate of provenance and authenticity.
This piece is a gift from Ferran VII to the Queen's hostess, a member of the Proyé family, on the occasion of her nuptials. This piece of furniture is a clear example of the transition in the taste of furniture during the 18th century. The use of mahogany, a very expensive material (the one from Santo Domingo de Cuba is the most highly valued) which replaced the traditional furniture made of walnut. The use of the cabriole pots, which increase the height of the taules, eliminates the traversers and fixers. To this we have to add the richness in particular with the use of a metal that is not very common in furniture, such as silver, especially in the legs. The simplicity and sobriety of the line is reminiscent of 18th century Georgian style furniture.
CS: 11250
Unpublished.