Viceregal 'Enconchado' Shaving Box
New Spain (possibly Guatemala), 18th century
Wood veneered with tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl
21 cm high, 10.3 cm wide, 9.5 cm deep
21 cm high, 10.3 cm wide, 9.5 cm deep
A4983
Further images
Provenance: UK private collection.
This rare container was probably used to store shaving tools. The wooden body is clad with tortoiseshell, inlaid with shimmering mother-of-pearl flowerheads. This technique is often called enconchado, meaning 'shell-incrusted'. Their presence in Peruvian collections gave rise to the belief that they were made in Peru, specifically in Lima. However, an inventory of 1765 identifies the work as Guatemalan.[1]
The mother-of-pearl decoration seen on this shaving box shares stylistic similarities with lacquered and mother-of-pearl boxes from Korea, Japan and Gujarat, Western India. Craftsmen in South America combined traditions of Spanish Mudejar inlaid and marquetry work with Asian-inspired motifs in order to create a new style of furniture to suit the demand for ‘Chinoiserie’ luxury goods.[2]
Very similar motifs in mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell are seen on a large contador cabinet in the LA County Museum of Art (M.2024.98a-c), dating to the 18th century.
[1] Katzew, Ilona. 'Recentering the Globe: The Lure of Shells and Enconchado Furnishings in Spanish America', The Art Bulletin 107 (2025), pp. 9–41.
[2] Carr, D. Made in Americas: The New World Discovers Asia, Boston: MFA Publications, Boston, 2015, p. 62
This rare container was probably used to store shaving tools. The wooden body is clad with tortoiseshell, inlaid with shimmering mother-of-pearl flowerheads. This technique is often called enconchado, meaning 'shell-incrusted'. Their presence in Peruvian collections gave rise to the belief that they were made in Peru, specifically in Lima. However, an inventory of 1765 identifies the work as Guatemalan.[1]
The mother-of-pearl decoration seen on this shaving box shares stylistic similarities with lacquered and mother-of-pearl boxes from Korea, Japan and Gujarat, Western India. Craftsmen in South America combined traditions of Spanish Mudejar inlaid and marquetry work with Asian-inspired motifs in order to create a new style of furniture to suit the demand for ‘Chinoiserie’ luxury goods.[2]
Very similar motifs in mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell are seen on a large contador cabinet in the LA County Museum of Art (M.2024.98a-c), dating to the 18th century.
[1] Katzew, Ilona. 'Recentering the Globe: The Lure of Shells and Enconchado Furnishings in Spanish America', The Art Bulletin 107 (2025), pp. 9–41.
[2] Carr, D. Made in Americas: The New World Discovers Asia, Boston: MFA Publications, Boston, 2015, p. 62