Vargueño vintage oak travel chest on stand

Solid Oak 18th Century Come Repurposed Writing Desk Vargueño BargueñoSolid oak 18th century travel chest on a stand or vargueño. The chest opens with a pull-down door to reveal seven hand-held drawers, each with hand-carved dovetail joints. Each drawer has an original metal handle. The door has a heavy original metal lock with key, matching metal corner ornaments, and ornate handles on each side.Wealthy merchants owned travel chests similar to this one. The merchant would have taken advantage of the multifunctional capacity of this chest. The interior houses shelves and drawers for storing valuables, including documents and jewelry. The cabinetmakers designed the chest to be unnoticeable to passersby when the lid is closed.The 18th-century chest sits on a 19th-century stand with turned legs and wooden crossbars. Sometimes called Vargueño, the definition of this term is as follows: The Vargueño is a decorative Spanish-style writing piece with a rectangular chest supported by legs or a decorative frame and a front that opens downward.The chest may also be known as a Bargueño. In cabinetry, a Bargueño is a form of portable desk but usually composed of two chests making our unit a Vargueño.