Antique Spanish Country Basque Hand Carved Chest or "Kutxa"

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Antique Spanish Country Basque Hand Carved Chest or "Kutxa"

About the Item

Antique and unique hand carved oak “kutxa” (box, in old Basque language) or chest, country Basque, Spain. 19th Century. The carved decoration, very complex, is concentrated on the front of the piece of furniture. This is divided into six panels delimited by vegetable and geometric decoration, in which various figurative motifs are represented. This piece was made in Spain. The quality and complexity of its decoration indicate that was made for the trousseau. The decorative motifs, of traditional type, are related to the furniture produced in the country Basque. The care with which piece is made suggests that it is a piece of furniture made to order, designed to decorate the house of a cultured owner. The use of the chest in Spain goes back to the middle ages, when it began to be used in its different variants as the main furniture for domestic use. The Kutxa was in the Basque country the most precious and most usual domestic furniture, since it served as a chest, wardrobe and table. Known since classical antiquity, it was normal to find several of them in each house. Some of these Kutxas were notable for their skilful carving of large crosses or rosettes and triangular meshes and, above all, for the hinges and for the beautiful locks, the work of the famous Basque ironworkers. The chest, is perhaps one of the first furniture of common use and that will evolve to give place to another furniture of common use, nowadays. Grain deposit, salt and other provisions, being also the basic wardrobe until the late appearance of the closet. In many homes the sheets and the best linen of the family were kept in the Kutxas, aromatizing the trousseau with the perfume of apples that was deposited carefully inside the "Kutxa". It also provides a seating service - even in the most developed form of the ark-bank - and can even be used for sleeping. This chest, with rare to see front opening remains in good antique condition. There is one small wood piece of decoration missing, at the front bottom central part, easily seen in many pictures. Can be replaced it, but we prefer do not touch the piece in original condition. The chest can be open from the top, from the front, or from both sides at the time. A very similar chest can be seen at the Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas de Madrid, Spain.

Dimensions:
Height: 31.5 in (80 cm)Width: 61.42 in (156 cm)Depth: 22.45 in (57 cm)
Style:
Rustic (In the Style Of)
Materials and Techniques:
Oak,Hand-Carved
Place of Origin:
Spain
Period:
19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
unknown
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses.
Seller Location:
Valencia, ES
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU4348213417301