A Spanish Chest

A Spanish Chest from the

Spanish West Indies

A Cultural Icon offered by

Michael & Betty Berdan Newsom

‘When you pay for the infinite with the finite, you are indeed getting a bargain’.

Lord Duveen

The Caribbean island of Bermuda takes its name from the Spanish Explorer Juan de Bermudez. The rest of the Caribbean islands were known as the Spanish West Indies because Spain occupied them from the early 16thC after first eliminating the local populations. Jamaica remained under Spanish control from 1535- 1655 when it was taken over by the British. The early Spanish history of the Caribbean is not clear but it is known that the Spanish imported slaves from Africa and possibly workers from other areas in order to make the islands productive.

The Spanish West Indies lay on the direct 16thC trade route between Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico and Spain.

The chest presented here in this monograph is believed by museum experts to have been created in the Spanish West Indies during this early period in the 17th century. Its cultural history is written in the materials used, the designs in the carvings, craftsmanship and the record of locations in the Caribbean written on its base.

It's many exceptional features and wonderful state of preservation make it an artistic and cultural artefact worthy of wide attention. Here follow some observations and thoughts regarding this chest.

The WOOD According to museum experts, this chest is made from spanish cedar, cedrela odorata. This fine wood was unknown in Europe until discovered in central and south America by Spanish explorers in the early 1500s.

Although related to mahogany, it is lighter in color and much prized for use in humedors especially for Cuban cigars.

Here we see see it, in natural state, inside the case where its light color contrasts nicely with the wrought iron of the original lock and hinges.

The Construction The most distinctive feature of the chest which allows an accurate attribution is the exceptional detail of the dovetailing. These joint features are crfted to maximise the surface area between the structural walls. This allows glue to create a bond as strong as nailing or dowelling (screws being unknown at that time).

This particular type of joint is unknown today and should not be strictly called ‘dove tail’ as no part of it resembles a tail.

The closest analogy would be the decorative pattern often called ‘Aztec’ but more accurately a common feature on Toltec architecture. It would have been familiar to the Spanish after the conquest of Mexico in 1521.

The Lock The concept of the lock as a protection against theft is a European idea. It was completely unknown to the indigenous cultures of South and Central America. When the Spanish conquered Mexico and Peru they built Western-style dwellings with doors and locks. This caused puzzlement and amusement to the native population who were unaccustomed to theft and therefore assumed that the locks were to protect the Spanish from each other.

The natives had only three laws, ‘do not steal, do not lie and do not kill’. A transgression of any one of these was punished by execution of the perpetrator and his complete family before their entire community was razed to the ground. The locks were definitely added to protect the property of conquerors from their compatriots.

The example on this chest is all original, sturdy and artistically suggestive. The latch incorporates watchful eyes and the lock plates displays four protective dragons intended to frighten off intruders.

The Decoration Travel westward by the Spanish was motivated by riches and religion. The iconography displayed on this chest displays no reference to the latter which suggests its intended contents were more related to the former.

The major design elements are stylistic representations of leaves and sea shells linked by scrolls. The time and effort involved in the carved decoration indicates that the chest was intended for display in a wealthy residence. It is more than would be required for secure transportation.

Such abstraction of naturalistic forms is highly suggestive of the Moorish Andalusian designs of southern Spain. Christian Spain had no problem with the depiction of human forms and other elements taken from nature.

Non religious design features of Al-Andalus are more curvilinear and florid than those that might be seen on, say, the toms of the Saadian kings in Morocco. This is significant when considering that the majority of conquistadores came from southern Spain.

For further questions and price information, please refer to:

Mr Michael Newsom Tel: 717 792 6744 Cell: 860 558 3282 E: newsomberdan@aol.com

Notes supplied by Dr Glenn P. Wood