Description
This Hispano-Moorish chest, still Gothic in style, features a variety of geometric oriental and occidental decorations typical of the Mudéjar style on its front and sides.
At the base, a drawer is concealed behind a series of four highly ornate moulded friezes, decorated with gouge and chisel-made grooves. Above, five segmental arches resting on moulded pilasters, each framing a stylized tree. This same decoration continues on the lateral parts of the chest.
The emergence of Mudéjar art in the 12th century in Aragon resulted from the unique political, social, and cultural conditions in post-Reconquest Spain. Geographically, Mudéjar art is primarily found in the Ebro valley and its southern tributaries, in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula.
Historically, this artistic genre marked a long period from the 12th to the 17th century. It is rather an authentic testimony to the peaceful coexistence of Christianity and Islam in medieval Spain, with contributions from Jewish culture, which ultimately gave rise to a new form of artistic expression.
This Spanish chest is interesting for the synthesis it represents, combining diverse influences still prevalent in Spain during that period.