Spanish Colonial Tortoiseshell Domed Casket
Mexico, early 18th century
Measurements
10 × 10 × 7.2 cm
The casket is constructed around a wooden carcass veneered in tortoiseshell, the exterior adorned with silver appliqués worked in floral motifs. The domed lid and sides are decorated with petal and rosette designs, typical of Spanish Colonial metal ornament, while the interior retains its original crimson velvet lining.
The casket remains in good condition overall, having most likely undergone restoration during the 20th century. There is a single crack to the reverse, and one of the pins to the latch has been replaced; the latch itself is probably an old replacement. The four bun feet are possibly later additions.
This casket relates closely to a group of tortoiseshell and silver boxes produced in the Zúñiga family workshop of Guadalajara, Mexico, during the first half of the 18th century. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art preserves a signed and dated example by Don Ildefonso de Zúñiga (1736), inscribed on the reverse: “Se hizo este Baul en la Ciudad de Guadalaxara, a 3 de Abril del año de 736, D. Ildephononsus de Zuñiga fecit”. Comparable pieces attributed to the same family include examples signed by Blas Antonio Pérez de Zúñiga (1730) and Clemente Pérez de Zúñiga (1736), suggesting a dynastic workshop active across the Viceroyalty of New Spain.
These small jewel caskets, uniting two of the most prized colonial materials—silver and tortoiseshell—were emblems of wealth and refinement, often commissioned as gifts or used for the safekeeping of personal treasures.
Comparisons
• Los Angeles County Museum of Art, inv. M.2007.39.2 (Zúñiga workshop, Guadalajara, 1736): https://collections.lacma.org/node/2297547
• Christie’s, Amsterdam, European Furniture, Clocks, Sculpture and Works of Art, 20 December 2007, Lot 347 (signed by Blas Antonio Pérez de Zúñiga): https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5027227
• Finch & Co, Winter Catalogue 2017, item no. 44 (Zúñiga workshop, Guadalajara, inscribed example)
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