Museum-Quality 18th Century Peruvian Spanish Colonial Polychromed Leather Dowry Trunk/ Chest

Details

Description

Museum-Quality 18th Century Peruvian Spanish Colonial Polychromed Leather Dowry Trunk/ Chest

Description

This exceptional late 18th-century Peruvian Spanish Colonial dowry … Read more Museum-Quality 18th Century Peruvian Spanish Colonial Polychromed Leather Dowry Trunk/ Chest

Description

This exceptional late 18th-century Peruvian Spanish Colonial dowry chest—known traditionally as a baúl or petaca—is a rare museum-quality example of the refined craftsmanship produced in the Viceroyalty of Peru. Likely originating from workshops in Cuzco or Lima, this chest perfectly embodies the period’s blend of European Baroque aesthetics with indigenous Andean artistic traditions.

The exterior showcases richly embossed and tooled leather stretched and inlaid over a solid mahogany frame, beautifully decorated with vibrant, colorful polychrome paint dyes. Stylized birds— symbolic phoenixes and eagles—float among scrolling vines, flowers, and foliage, creating a dynamic, symbolic landscape across the surface. The flat-top form, framed with an elegant scalloped trim, features its original hand-forged iron lockplate and hasp, making it both a functional storage piece and a stunning statement for modern interiors (including use as a coffee or side table). The chest has beautiful hand-forged handles on each side for easy transport and lifting. The Chest/ trunk was most likely commissioned by a member of Peru's privileged class and or royalty for proud display in a reception room, where they would have functioned as signifiers of their owners' erudition, wealth, and education. Inside were stored fine imported textiles, which in colonial Peru were worth more than their weight in Silver. Also, most likely used as a wedding dowry Chest.

Additional period details include:

Original hand-forged iron hinges and corner reinforcements
original hand-forged iron handles on each side for easy lifting transport
Bracket feet showing traces of original paint
Warm, untouched patina developed over centuries
The interior contains a single open compartment with a small side till, traditionally used for jewelry or valuables—an intact hallmark of its dowry-chest origin.

This piece displays expected, desirable age-related wear such as light very minor scuffs and gentle polychrome fading in high-touch areas, yet retains superb structural integrity and an unusually high degree of original detail. An exceptional acquisition for collectors of Latin American Colonial art and serious antique enthusiasts.

Dimensions

Width: 39.5"
Depth: 19.5"
Height: 20.5"

Materials

Embossed & polychromed leather, mahogany wood, hand-forged iron hardware

Origin

Peru (Spanish Colonial)

Period

Late 18th Century (circa 1780–1800)

Condition Good nice condition with rich, original patina. Minor, expected age wear; no significant damage or restorations noted.

Provenance

Private collection; acquired through an estate sale in Rancho Santa Fe, CA. See less