THREE LOCKS CHEST. WOOD, WROUGHT IRON, LEATHER. CA 1600.

Chest with three locks. Wood, leather, wrought iron. Around 1600. Rectangular chest with a flat lid made of carved wood and covered, on the outside, with leather and wrought iron fittings (three locks, corner pieces, two handles, ornaments, hinges). Inside, it has a red fabric covering both on the body of the trunk and on the lid (an area in which there is an embroidery based on geometric elements arranged in a symmetrical composition, counting lost details). The typology of the piece (rectangular box with a flat lid) is one of the most common in Spanish coffers and chests, with specimens with this shape already being found at the beginning of the Middle Ages. Regarding the use of textiles, it was common in Spain already during the 15th century to make chests lined on the outside and inside, usually red (the most expensive dyes were red and blue), both to enhance the piece and to protect the content. Covering the wood with leather on the outside was also common, again to enhance and protect the trunk. As for the hardware, the spear shape with lobes that the wrought iron pieces present refers to examples from the late Gothic period with Renaissance influence, with some somewhat more advanced forms. The three locks have openwork shields decorated with waves and simplified plant elements, and the presence of the three in the same chest refers to a typology known as “town hall” or “council” (having three keys, it was necessary that the three authorities that had one got together and agreed to access the content, adding an element of security). It is not entirely common for this type of pieces to be preserved in good condition, and similar examples can be found in some important private collections and in institutions such as the Valencia Cathedral Museum, the Palacios y Villafranca City Hall, and the Military Historical Museum of Seville. , etc.

· Size: 125x48x57 cms.