Not currently on display at the V&A

Coffer

1883 (made)
Artist/Maker
Zuloaga, Plácido (maker)
Place of origin
Eibar (made)

Eusebio Zuloaga (1808-98) and his son Plácido, won an international reputation for making iron and steel objects of all kinds, frequently decorated in Renaissance or Hispano -Moresque styles. A letter of 13 October 1868 from Plácido Zuloaga to Mrs Alfred Morrison, the donor of this coffer, contained a plea that the Morrisons should support his workshop in order to save him from the disaster threatened as a result of civil disturbance in Spain.


Object details

Categories
Containers
Metalwork
Object type
Coffer
Materials and techniques
Steel etched and damascened with gold and silver and set with embossed silver plaques; stamped leather lining
Steel
Gold
Silver
Leather
Etching
Damascening
Embossing
Brief description
Steel, etched and damascened with gold and silver and set with embossed silver plaques; stamped leather lining, Spain, Eibar, signed and dated Plácido Zuloaga, 1883.
Physical description
Coffer, steel etched and damascened with gold and silver set with embossed silver plaques and a stamped leather lining. Octagonal on four oblong feet with domed lid, decorated with arabesques, masks and monsters.
Dimensions
  • Height: 12in
  • Width: 21in
Marks and inscriptions
Signed and dated: Plácido 1883 Zuloago
Gallery label
  • Octagonal Coffer 1883 Eusebio Zuloaga and his son Plácido were internationally famed for their work in iron and steel. They learnt their skills from their family, who were Basque gunmakers and armourers. This coffer is in a rich Renaissance style, with fanciful 'grotesque' decoration derived from Roman underground chambers (grotte) discovered in the 15th century. Spain, Eibar; designed and made by Plácido Zuloaga Steel, etched and damascened in gold and silver; applied silver mounts; interior lined with stamped leather Given by Mrs Alfred Morrison(05/04/2017)
  • COFFER Plácido Zuloaga (1833-1910) Maker Spain (Eibar): 1883 Steel, counterfeit damascened in gold and silver, with applied silver mounts, the interior lined with stamped leather. M.874-1927 Eusebio Zuloaga (1808-98) and his son Plácido, won an international reputation for making iron and steel objects of all kinds, frequently decorated in Renaissance or Hispano -Moresque styles. A letter of 13 October 1868 from Plácido Zuloaga to Mrs Alfred Morrison, the donor of this coffer, contained a plea that the Morrisons should support his workshop in order to save him from the disaster threatened as a result of civil disturbance in Spain. Given by Mrs Alfred Morrison(1987-2006)
Credit line
Given by Mrs Alfred Morrison
Summary
Eusebio Zuloaga (1808-98) and his son Plácido, won an international reputation for making iron and steel objects of all kinds, frequently decorated in Renaissance or Hispano -Moresque styles. A letter of 13 October 1868 from Plácido Zuloaga to Mrs Alfred Morrison, the donor of this coffer, contained a plea that the Morrisons should support his workshop in order to save him from the disaster threatened as a result of civil disturbance in Spain.
Bibliographic reference
Edgcumbe, Richard in Simon Jervis, ed. Art and Design in Europe and America, 1800-1900, London, The Herbert Press, 1987. pp.148-9, ill. ISBN 0906969751
Collection
Metalwork Collection
Accession number
M.874-1927

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Record createdMay 24, 2006
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O124242/coffer-zuloaga-plácido/
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