Lounge of the Bear in Viana Palace, Cordoba (Spain)

Lounge of the Bear

        Once you enter there is a baroque door of the XVIII Century made with Lounge of the Bearcaoba wood, probably the best of the palace. This door is decorated with geometrical and vegetable elements, and it is link to the Croccery Lounge, that we will explain later.
        The Lounge of the Bear receves this name because it kept a big stuffed bear, that was kept into a niche situated on the left side of the room. The bear was moved to Moratalla, the residence of the marquises, when the palace was renewed.
        It is important a wonderful oil painting that represents the Piety, a copy more moder of the Avignon Pietà, made by the cordovan paiter Bartolomé Bermejo, also known as Bartolomé Cárdenas, that is now into the Louvre Museum. Under the board there is chest into which there is a little temple of the XVIIILounge of the Bear Century. There are two carved images, golden, of the Pope and the Bishop, which are situated into niches in the link side of the lounge.
        In the middle there is a convent table with the wooden board of the XVII Century, on which we can appreciate a XVIII Century arqueta covered in leather with iron nails.
        As it happens in different rooms of the palace, over all the belonging to the downstairs ones, we can find different examples of armchairs with arms or monks armchairs, made along the XVII Century, a kind of forniture with spanish features, which is characterized by its sobriety, using the nuttree wood and pine wood, and the seat and the back made in leather. In some cases there is a chambrana that link the front legs, which are decorated with geometrical motives.

Text: J.A.S.C.

Traslated by Sara Moretti