Artwork Details
Colonial Period
Desks
Description:
From 1572 until the dissolution of the order in 1767, the Society of Jesus maintained a series of missions or reservations in Upper Peru, now known as Bolivia. As a part of their missionary work, the Jesuits established art and trade schools for the indigenous populations in these areas. The Moxos and Chiquitos missions gained significant recognition for their wood carving craftsmanship. While the majority of their work focused on small utilitarian items like boxes for holding coca leaves, in exceptional cases, larger and more elaborate works, such as this pair of desks, were created. The detailed carving that covers the entire surface is inlaid with mother-of-pearl, a technique that imitates the use of this material in Eastern art. The interiors of the fall-fronts are painted, one depicting a hunting scene and the other a scene of gallantry.
From 1572 until the dissolution of the order in 1767, the Society of Jesus maintained a series of missions or reservations in Upper Peru, now known as Bolivia. As a part of their missionary work, the Jesuits established art and trade schools for the indigenous populations in these areas. The Moxos and Chiquitos missions gained significant recognition for their wood carving craftsmanship. While the majority of their work focused on small utilitarian items like boxes for holding coca leaves, in exceptional cases, larger and more elaborate works, such as this pair of desks, were created. The detailed carving that covers the entire surface is inlaid with mother-of-pearl, a technique that imitates the use of this material in Eastern art. The interiors of the fall-fronts are painted, one depicting a hunting scene and the other a scene of gallantry.
- Artist: Unidentified artist, Bolivia
- Title: Desks
- Date: First half of the eighteenth century
- Materials: Wood, Mother-of-Pearl, iron and paint
- Dimensions: 40 x 33 x 40.5 cm (15 3/4 x 13 x 15 15/16 inches)
- Artist: Unidentified artist, Bolivia
- Title: Desks
- Date: First half of the eighteenth century
- Materials: Wood, Mother-of-Pearl, iron and paint
- Dimensions: 40 x 33 x 40.5 cm (15 3/4 x 13 x 15 15/16 inches)
Description:
From 1572 until the dissolution of the order in 1767, the Society of Jesus maintained a series of missions or reservations in Upper Peru, now known as Bolivia. As a part of their missionary work, the Jesuits established art and trade schools for the indigenous populations in these areas. The Moxos and Chiquitos missions gained significant recognition for their wood carving craftsmanship. While the majority of their work focused on small utilitarian items like boxes for holding coca leaves, in exceptional cases, larger and more elaborate works, such as this pair of desks, were created. The detailed carving that covers the entire surface is inlaid with mother-of-pearl, a technique that imitates the use of this material in Eastern art. The interiors of the fall-fronts are painted, one depicting a hunting scene and the other a scene of gallantry.
From 1572 until the dissolution of the order in 1767, the Society of Jesus maintained a series of missions or reservations in Upper Peru, now known as Bolivia. As a part of their missionary work, the Jesuits established art and trade schools for the indigenous populations in these areas. The Moxos and Chiquitos missions gained significant recognition for their wood carving craftsmanship. While the majority of their work focused on small utilitarian items like boxes for holding coca leaves, in exceptional cases, larger and more elaborate works, such as this pair of desks, were created. The detailed carving that covers the entire surface is inlaid with mother-of-pearl, a technique that imitates the use of this material in Eastern art. The interiors of the fall-fronts are painted, one depicting a hunting scene and the other a scene of gallantry.
