In May 1847, Don José de Madrazo, director of the Royal Museum of Painting and Sculpture –now the Prado Museum–, acquired this silver writing desk for his office for 320 réis. It is made of silver plaqué, a technique consisting of soldering thin sheets of silver on a thick copper sheet, thus reducing the cost. The tray carrying the inkwell, the pin container and the pounce bears the mark of the Real Fábrica de Platería Martínez (Text drawn from exp. Los Objetos Hablan, Sevilla, 2016).