Le Louvre French Antiques Blanket Chests

More information coming soon… Hand-carved from oak in the early 1800s, this large chest is known in France as a coffre. The clean lines of the chest are softened by a thick apron m...

More information coming soon… The rich carvings of this French walnut trunk depict allegories for winter (Hibernus) and summer (Æstas). Carved figures accompanying each season are ...

More information coming soon… Hand-carved and painted in Florence, Italy, this armorial cassone dates to the 1800s. The trunk has subtle curvature, such as the slightly flared out ...

Dating to the 1700s, this beautiful Venetian chest, which is covered in crimson velvet, has brass embellishments in the style of the Renaissance. The beautiful color of the velvet an...

The beautifully carved front façade is not the only impressive element of this oak strongbox trunk; the interior is reinforced with an iron strapwork “cage”, strengthening the alread...

A beautiful and robust Spanish trunk, the carvings on the front façade are large and vibrant, accented by a deep brown patina. The trunk was hand-carved in the 1600s by a master craftsman, using both oak and walnut woods. Large dovetail joineries, visible on the sides, add character to the trunk, without taking away from the magnificent carvings. Two large, pierced iron straps support the massive trunk lid, which is embellished with several thin moldings. Both sides have an ovate handle affixed by a pierced floral mount, above an arbalete apron. The sinuosity continues on the front apron, but in more dramatic fashion, with a series of counter curves. Above the apron is a raised area (also seen on the sides) adorned with a winged angel mascaron inside of a shaped console, flanked by a large rosette atop a vine that is surrounded by a foliate border. A similar foliate carving can be seen on the recessed section of the façade, encircling another well-carved cartouche. The upper scene consists of a heart surmounting flowering leaves (beneath a shaped escutcheon), flanked by a pair of niches filled with sunbursts over flowering vines, which are in turn flanked by larger sunbursts personified with a mascaron center. All four sunbursts are incorporated with a cross, which, when depicted with the heart, symbolizes “love for all mankind”. Our richly carved Spanish trunk...

Based on the facing portrait cartouches on the front facade, this chest was most likely presented to a couple for their wedding in 17th-century Northern France. The oak wood has a deep brown patina that accentuates the hand-carved frontage, depicting a man (on the left) facing a woman (on the right), surrounded by scrolls and a sprawling foliate margent. A quarter-round edge embellishes the lid, which can be opened to reveal deep storage, including a 5 ½ inch tall side compartment. Several thin layers of molding can be seen on the low profile apron above small bracket feet. A chest like this would have been offered as a wedding dowry, most likely commissioned by the parents of the bride or possibly even by the husband himself. The chest would have been used to store valuables for the couple’s new life together, with the wrought iron handles on the sides allowing the chest to be easily transported. Our 17th-century wedding chest can be used functionally as a small storage chest for a bedroom or bathroom or displayed as a well-carved room...

Adorned by an impressive lattice of strapwork, this oak and iron money chest from 17th-century France is both functional and aesthetically appealing. An elaborate, stylized iron fleu...

Whereas many pieces of furniture during the Italian Renaissance were heavily painted or inlaid with decorative motifs, French examples utilized hand-sculpted elements as the predomin...

A fantastic Spanish trunk with an angular dome top, the wood has been covered in leather on all sides except the back. The deep chocolate color leather has been affixed with various ...

Chests are one of the oldest pieces of furniture, as ancient Egyptians first used them around 3000 BC. During the early Renaissance, taller chests, such as this French oak coffre chest...

Trunks are one of the oldest types of furniture in existence today. They date back many centuries and come in various shapes and styles. This leather and brass trunk, known as a mall...

This is an unusually long Gothic style trunk from France, measuring nearly 6.5 feet long. It is carved from thick oak planks, and it dates to circa 1800. The trunk has well carved characteristic Gothic ornamentation on all of the front panels, while the rest of the piece remains simple, except a small molding to the lid. The big oak panels are joined by dowel reinforced mortise and tenon construction. The long single plank lid is attached by iron hinges and opens to reveal a large rectangular space which reveals how all the boards were assembled. There is also a latch and keyhole at the center. This rare trunk would be perfect at the foot of a king size bed, an accent piece under a tall tapestry...