WALNUT AND METAL CHEST WITH TWO LOCKS. 17TH CENTURY.

Chest with two locks. Wood. XVII century. Rectangular chest with a flat top raised on six disc-shaped legs topped by moldings. The fronts of the furniture have a smooth area below, a fine molding that is repeated at the top and a finish, also molded, already on the top. Likewise, it is possible to see, in metal on fabric, different metal fittings and corners, with flordelised profiles and circular shapes. The two horseshoe shields, openwork to reveal the fabric, have a series of moldings arranged geometrically flanking a vertical axis; On the sides, there are also two handles, with a similar metallic decoration applied to the wood and formed by an oval-shaped bar ending in two simplified volutes and a disc in the part that would be gripped. The interior has a small closed and reserved space, on one side of the furniture. The lines of the furniture follow those common in Spanish chests since the Middle Ages, and it is the decorative elements (especially the hardware, but also the legs and the decorative moldings that stand out) that place the work within the Baroque of the century. XVII for its curves and countercurves. Likewise, this would be a typology that will continue to be used later, logically changing the decoration. Walnut wood is the most common wood in Spanish furniture due to its size, its abundance at the time and its resistance and durability. Chests and chests were elements used very frequently both in the Middle Ages and in the Modern Age, to store a wide variety of objects (clothes, dishes, metals, etc.). In this case, the presence of two keys suggests that money or some precious asset would be kept, because this detail could allude to the need for two civil or religious positions necessary to open it.

· Size: 69x158x 77 cms