Hall bench - Screenwriter - Oak

This exceptional piece is a small two-drawer solid oak bench-writing table, a storage seating of a particularly rare type whose stylistic and technical codes point to an origin situated between northern Spain (Castile or Navarre) and the Pyrenean slope.

Blending the robustness inherited from Iberian furniture of the Golden Age with the austerity of monastic structures, this piece testifies to artisanal craftsmanship of high quality. Its state of conservation “as is” is remarkable: over the centuries the oak has acquired a dark, deep patina of exceptional density,

The furniture’s structure is a catalog of fascinating technical archaisms for any High Antiquity collector. The seat, in a single block, is solidly fixed by a system of mortised and forged nails, mechanically linking the top to a set of splayed trestle legs. This A-shaped foot, very present in Spanish and Basque furniture of the XVIIth century, ensures perfect stability.

The feet are delicately adorned with vertical fluting and supported by tiered consoles of architectural inspiration, recalling the influence of Renaissance models.

The front features two richly worked drawers, whose panels are carved with radiating rosettes deeply engraved. This heliocentric motif, ubiquitous in Pyrenean and Castilian popular art, often symbolized protection and prosperity.

The period ironware, composed of “water drop” forged handles, is fixed by a system of through split pins.

This bank-writing table served as a work seat or an auxiliary seat for a notable or a clerk. The secular wear marks, notably the rounded edges of the top and the base of the feet worn by contact with stone floors or earthen floors, tell four centuries of history. It is a characterful piece, sound and with a strong visual impact, perfectly illustrating the persistence of classical Spanish forms in High Antiquity furniture.