LEATHERED CHEST. WOOD, TEXTILE, WROUGHT IRON. SPAIN, CA 1500.

Chest with a rectangular body with a semicircular lid made of carved wood and covered with worked leather that has been reinforced with a series of wrought iron fittings, a material in which the handle on the lid and a lock on the front with a shield are also made. keyhole decorated with simplified plant elements at the top. The interior presents the fabric upholstery that was common in these pieces and that, as a general rule, has not been preserved in good condition, as in the present piece. This type of chests were used both to store and transport precious objects, hence the lock, always seeking quality in materials and decoration that would manifest the economic power of its owner, in addition to maintaining utility. The shape is one of the most common of chests already in Spanish Gothic, maintaining this style in the way of arranging the hardware and a series of decorative elements. The tested and barreled chests and chests had very varied shapes and sizes, being so common in Spain during the 15th and 16th centuries that numerous examples are preserved today. Compare, for example, with those of the Lope de Vega House Museum (Madrid), one dated to the beginning of the 16th century and with touches from the 19th century (CE00170) and another decorated (inventory CE00004), or the 15th century chest of the Museum of Decorative Arts of Madrid, for example, as well as several specimens from private collections.

· Size: 17x10x11 cms.