OF BAROQUE STYLE, 19TH CENTURY

Highly decorative cordovan leather panels originate from Cordova in Spain and were created to replicate silk damask designs as an alternative to tapestry hangings. The technique was popular in the Low Countries in the 16th and 17th centuries Mechelen and Amsterdam were prominent centres of production, supplying both the local and regional market with exports being shipped to Germany, Denmark and Sweden. The intricate designs are created by pressing wet leather panels into carved moulds. Once dry it is then painted, gilt and lacquered. As each mould is hand carved new designs were expensive and time-consuming to create and as a result speed and variety than chintz and wallpaper provided meant that they became popular alternatives in the 18th century. Despite the change in taste several important examples survive in situ including those in a side chamber of Pieterskerk, Leiden. Other fine examples can be found in the collections of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and Museum Hof can Busleyden in Mechelen.