Armoir
Primary
Serafín Antonio Almeida
(Guatire, Venezuela, 1752–Caracas, Venezuela, 1822)
Place MadeCaracas, Venezuela, South America
Datecirca 1800
MediumCedar veneered in gateado and saman with brass barrel hinges, bone keyholes, original gilded and die-cast brass handles
Dimensions85 7/16 x 54 5/16 x 22 1/16 in. (217 x 138 x 56 cm)
Credit LineBlanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, Gift of Patricia Phelps de Cisneros in honor of Adriana Cisneros de Griffin, 2016.194
Keywords
Rights Statement
Collection AreaLatin American Art
Object number2016.194
On View
Not on viewSerafín Antonio Almeida was a prolific cabinetmaker. He built the choir stalls in the Caracas Cathedral in 1798 (dismantled in 1866 and destroyed in 1967), where he developed his traditional marquetry style, also evident in this sturdy armoire. Marquetry is a decorative technique that consists of inserting fine pieces of wood in contrasting colors into a thin layer of wood, called veneer. Decorated in complex patterns, that layer is subsequently attached to a piece of furniture to enhance its aesthetic value.
![Caja con jabones para distintas clases sociales [Box with Bars of Soap for Different Social Classes]](/internal/media/dispatcher/15259/thumbnail)
Caja con jabones para distintas clases sociales [Box with Bars of Soap for Different Social Classes]
Alfredo Portillos
1974
Object number: 1981.103
