Three Locks Chest 'with Secret Drawer' Walnut, Iron, Spain, 17th Century

View Similar Items

Three Locks Chest, Walnut, Iron, Spain, 17th Century

Burgalesan Chest, Walnut, Iron, Spain, 17th Century

Walnut and Metal Chest with Two Locks, 17th Century

Castillian Chest, Walnut, Textile, Wrought Iron, Spain, 17th Century

Walnut and Iron Chest, 17th Century

"City Hall" Chest, Walnut, Wrought Iron, Castile Spain, 17th Century

17th Century Spanish Walnut Chest with Original Iron Fittings

Chest, Walnut, Textile, Wrought Iron, 17th Century

Walnut Chest with Wrought Iron Fittings, Baroque, 17th Century

Castillian Chest, Walnut and Wrought and Polychromed Iron, Spain, 17th Century

17th Century Spanish Chest In Walnut

17th Century Spanish Baroque Carved Walnut Blanket Chest

Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 16

Three Locks Chest 'with Secret Drawer' Walnut, Iron, Spain, 17th Century

About the Item

Chest of three bolts with drawers. Walnut wood. Spain, 17th century. Rectangular chest with a flat lid that is unique due to its format and constitution. It presents a decoration on the front and the two sides with moldings resembling architectural elements in the corners, a fine molding bordering the latches and making similar drawings on the sides (creating ogee and lobed shapes); a succession of moldings in the lower area, combined with an architectural element at the front; a band below in which the three drawers are presented, with fluted front and iron handles; and a skirt trimmed on the legs of the furniture. Inside, there is a partition on one side, occupying the entire side: from bottom to top, three drawers with access from outside this space, this front decorated with moldings resembling drawers, and an access with a flat lid hinged at the top. of the partition; It should be noted that inside there is a space and wood that slides, revealing a normal drawer with access without moving the wood and another smaller, secret drawer, only accessible by moving the wood. The keys present marked differences between them and the usual decoration in this type of pieces of the time. Chests with three locks are also known as "City Hall" or "Council", because both these and those with two keys were often used by religious, military or civil organizations to store valuable objects and documents, securing them by giving a key. to each person in charge (as many people as locks and keys), so that they had to get together to open the cabinet. In many places in the Spanish territories it was used as a municipal archive, following laws inherited from a pragmatic one of June 9, 1500 with which the Catholic Monarchs forced the Councils of their territories to build town halls, prisons and have an ark of privileges and writings. Despite having been abundant in their time, many examples have not come down to us because they fell into disuse and were replaced. Compare with that of the Council of Villafranca de la Marisma (Los Palacios and Villafranca, Seville), that of Valdipiélago (León), that of Matapozuelos (Valladolid), that of the Cabildo of Buenos Aires in Argentina (18th century, following previous models), etc. Stylistically speaking, Castilian chests are usually much simpler on the outside and do not usually have drawers on the outside like those in this piece. Both Spanish and northern European examples are known with moldings on the outside deviating and drawing shapes on the lock escutcheons. What is clearly exceptional is the presence of drawers on the outside and that previously mentioned architectural decoration.

Dimensions:
Height: 37.01 in (94 cm)Width: 55.12 in (140 cm)Depth: 26.78 in (68 cm)
Style:
Baroque (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Other,Walnut,Wrought Iron
Place of Origin:
Spain
Period:
17th Century
Date of Manufacture:
17th Century
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Minor fading.
Seller Location:
Madrid, ES
Reference Number:
Seller: ZF07161stDibs: LU2951329186032