Side table. Guatemala or Peru, 18th c. Wood inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Loaned to the Hispanic Society of America [6112×6112] [OC]

[display description](https://i.ibb.co/5WjXLgqL/20250308-153249-ed.jpg)

[Side table (one of a pair)

Guatemala (for export market) or Peru, 18th century

Wood inlaid with mother-of-pearl

On loan from Robert Simon Fine Art, New York

Dowries and probate inventories attest to the large number and variety of valuable tables used by women in the estrado, particularly during the 18th century. Among these were small side tables, like the one exhibited here. These were often made from silver or precious hardwoods sourced from the Americas. This example represents a style popular in Peru and features an elaborate geometric web of glistening mother-of-pearl inlay. Artisans some- times embellished these pieces with other luxury materials like tortoiseshell and ivory. Enconchado or inlaid mother-of-pearl furniture took on numerous forms, ranging from small boxes to enormous cabinets-many of them destined for the finest homes and estrados of viceregal Peru.]

https://www.robertsimon.com/spanish-colonial-mother-of-pearl-table