Unknown artist, Chest, early 1700s. Spanish cedar, leather, and gilded iron; 24½ × 42⅛ × 20⅞ in. Gift of Patricia Phelps de Cisneros in honor of Natalia Majluf, 2017.123.

The manufacture of furnishings and sumptuary objects in embossed polychromatic leather was considerably advanced in the Viceroyalty of Peru. The city of Huamanga (Ayacucho) was the most important center for this type of manufacture. The production of furniture for storage and transportation was particularly specialized. The repertoire of designs ranged from small boxes or chests to larger pieces such as portable desks and trunks. Embossed leather was also notably used in the cushions and backrests. The intricate decoration of Peruvian leather furnishings generally covers their entire surfaces, as is the case with this trunk. Its decorative motifs fuse the artistic traditions of Spain and the Americas in an amalgam of elements that commonly includes foliage and small animals. The keyhole and other hardware are all made of wrought iron, and in the most luxurious furnishings the metal was gilt, as is the case in this piece, which still contains remains of the original gilding.

-- Jorge Rivas Pérez, Frederick and Jan Mayer Curator of Latin American Art, 2019