WALNUT THREE KEYS CHEST WITH WROUGHT IRONWORK, CASTILLE (SPAIN), 17TH CENTURY.
Antiques - Furniture
Reference: Z3404
“Town Hall” chest made of walnut wood and wrought iron fittings. Castile, 17th century. Rectangular chest with a flat lid on four spherical legs and prominent moulding at the bottom, reinforced with corner pieces and featuring two handles with a central disc on the sides and, on its front, three bolts with a decorated lock shield and highlighted on a fabric background, with their respective keys. These have a decorated stem and a ring with openwork circular elements. This type of chest is called “Town Hall” or “Council” because of its three locks, each of which closes with its respective key. These pieces of furniture were used in any type of organisation, religious or civil, to store valuable objects, documents or money and each of the keys was given to a person in charge, it being essential that all three were together to open the piece of furniture, avoiding any possible temptation. They were a very common element in councils or town halls of towns and other villages, hence their name. Stylistically, it is situated within the Baroque period due to the strength of the lower moulding and the movement provided by the legs and the shapes of the different fittings. This typology was already used in the Gothic period and, given its success, would continue to be something common in the workshops of cabinetmakers and carpenters for many centuries. Sometimes they were made of iron, and, in very few cases, three keys were used to close a silver chest (the one containing the body of San Isidro, Madrid). In many places, such as La Rioja, it was used as a municipal archive, following laws inherited from a pragmatic of June 9, 1500 with which the Catholic Monarchs obliged the Councils of their territories to build town halls, prisons and to have a chest of privileges and deeds. Despite having been so abundant in their time, not many examples have reached us because they have fallen into disuse and been replaced. Compare with that of the Council of Villafranca de la Marisma (Los Palacios y 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.
· Size: 152x67,5x76 cms.
5.500 €
