Unknown artist, Butaca Armchair, 1770s. Mahogany with fabric upholstery; 45¼ × 28⅜ × 17 in. Gift of Patricia Phelps de Cisneros in honor of Jorge Rivas, 2017.128.

height: 45 1/4 in, 114.9350 cm; width: 28 3/8 in, 72.0725 cm; depth: 16 15/16 in, 43.0213 cm

Mayer Center, Latin American Art

Latin American Art

This object is currently on view

Butacas, colonial low easy chairs derived from pre-Hispanic seat forms, were ideal for intimate domestic spaces. The elite 1700s example here includes carved rocaille decoration—fanciful sinuous curves with origins in the irregular edges of shells and rock formations—and cabriole legs adorned with a dog’s head and a bird (possibly references to the owner’s pets or interest in animals). The butaca type spread throughout the Caribbean and key ports along the Gulf of Mexico, particularly after Charles III signed the 1778 decree of free trade, which allowed Spanish American ports to trade directly with one another and with most ports in Spain.

– Jorge Rivas Pérez, Frederick and Jan Mayer Curator of Latin American Art, 2019

Provenance research is on-going at the Denver Art Museum. Please e-mail provenance@denverartmuseum.org, if you have questions, or if you have additional information to share with us.

• "Behind Closed Doors: Art in the Spanish American Home, 1492–1898" — Brooklyn Museum 9/20/2013–1/12/2014
• Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, New Mexico, 2/16–5/18/2014
• New Orleans Museum of Art, Louisiana, 6/20–9/21/2014
• The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, Florida, 10/24/2014–1/11/2015