A small Elizabeth I boarded oak chest, circa 1600


The hinged lid with ovolo-moulded edge, the front with a linear-carved band filled with scratch-carved and punched-decorated domino-style motifs, and the chip-carved ends with paired vertical lines of small punched dots, the slab-ends projecting below the base board, their show-profile carved with a pointed-arch, and with shaped ends forming feet, also with three iron locks, 101cm wide x 35.5cm deep x 42.5cm high, (39 1/2in wide x 13 1/2in deep x 16 1/2in high)
|Gabriel Olive, in an article entitled 'West Country Chests, Coffers and Boxes', The Journal of the Regional Furniture Society (1990), Vol. IV, pp. 49-70, illustrates a boarded chest, in Corfe Castle Church, documented in the Churchwarden's accounts as being made by a Henry Parlot. Although made much later than this Lot, in 1671, it has the same stepped V-cutaway supports, implying that this particular design, although fairly common, could be associated with the West Country. A further similarity is the presence of more than one lock. See footnote for Lot 236 relating to chests fitted with three locks, which strongly suggests former use within a church.