Casket: Viceroyalty of Peru, 18th century.Embossed leather, wood, bronze and brass. Wallpaper inside.It conserves key.Measurements: 17 x 51 cm.Embossed leather flask box with a wooden interior structure and gilded brass fittings. The keyhole is notable for its simple design in contrast to the elaborate metalwork on the side appliqués for the handles. This type of box is part of a group of storage furniture that was verymon in the Viceroyalty of Peru in the Modern Period. They were made of leather sewn with magüey (pita) thread and decorated withplex vegetal motifs, in addition to the typical wavy festoons on the edge of the lid. The embossed decoration on the leather shows clear Andalusian influences in the variegatedposition of leaf and flower bouquets. Certainly a direct parallel can be drawn with the guadamecíes of the Cordoban altars of the Mudéjar tradition, which were embossed by applying very hot metal plates with different floral motifs.The interior is lined with white paper on which a medallion with doves has been painted in tempera, flanked by two bouquets of flowers and ears of wheat. This painting is brightly coloured and has a certain naïve character that undoubtedly lends a colonial flavour to the box. These boxes were intended to hold the most precious goods and were therefore always fitted with a lock. For this reason, in addition to their refined decoration, they were valued for the quality of their leather, which was ideal for protecting goods from the elements during travel. To this end, the scalloped edge of the lid protrudes considerably in the form of a 'roof' so that rainwater would run off it and not affect the contents. Similar pieces can be found in the National Museum of Decorative Arts in Madrid: Inv. Nos. CE00335 and 335.Dimensions: 17 x 51 cm.