CHEST. WOOD, GILT IRON, RED VELVET. 16TH CENTURY.

“Rehearsed” chest. Wood, covered in velvet, gilded iron fittings. Century XVI.
Chest with a rectangular base and smooth walls with a lid with sloping sides and a straight top (trunk-pyramidal) made of carved wood. It stands out, above all, for still presenting (and in a remarkable state of conservation) the red velvet with which some of the main examples of this type of work used to be covered, and for maintaining elaborate hardware in its decoration and with gilding in numerous areas. . The three fittings that join the lid to the base have vegetal-shaped endings that are reminiscent of flordelised examples; The handle at the top has a disc in the center and sharpened finials; The shield of the lock is reminiscent of a heraldic one, topped with another simple plant element, and the bolt that joins it to the leg has simple architectural shapes; On the right, there is also a hook to prevent accidental opening of the chest when opening the lock. The interior, open and uncompartmented, has fine textile upholstery in a color similar to the exterior velvet.
This type of chests or caskets lined with fabric (the examples that have velvet are the highest quality, as this is a textile made with silk or linen) is very common in Spain during the 15th century, continuing in the 16th century. , being characteristic elements of the time of the Catholic Monarchs. As for the presence of a lining inside, it is due to the clear intention of preserving the contents of such a rich chest in the best possible condition, saving them from possible damage that the nails in the hardware could cause to the valuable objects that are stored. They were stored in this type of containers, which is why two hooks were also placed flanking the lock to prevent accidental opening once the key was turned. As for color, note that the most expensive dyes were red and blue, so these were the most expensive and valuable specimens.
As indicated, it is not common for such ancient velvet to still retain its characteristic pile, reducing the number of works with which we can compare the present chest. It is much smaller than the pine wood trunk covered in silk velvet, with iron fittings, preserved by the National Museum of Decorative Arts in Madrid, made in Castile between the last quarter of the 15th century and the first quarter of the 16th."


· Size: 27x14x16 cms.