Stupendous Iron Bound and Strapped Chest, hand waxed to a lovely mellow honey colour. Massively constructed from 1" (25mm) pine with fine dovetailed corners and heavily reinforced with original wrought iron strapping and corner pieces.

That this box should survive some 250 years largely intact and unscathed is a supreme testament to the craftsmanship that went into its making. Particularly when you think that it probably spent much of its time at sea or travelling. Over the ages, there has inevitably been some scarring and staining, but these now add to the charm and beauty of this amazing piece.

The quality, strength and security of the chest would suggest that it originally belonged to an important personage. The chest is probably of Portuguese origin. Perhaps it formed part of the baggage of a Portugese lady sailing to England to wed a fine English gentleman? Perhaps it was brought to the British Isles by an English or Irish wine merchant during the Napoleonic wars? Who knows its history ... but it has seen so much that we can imagine and weave whatever tales we wish.

The front of the chest has three wrought straps. The outer two run under the bottom and up the back to form part of the hinges. The centre strap runs up to incorporate the lock fastenings. The straps are secured with hand made wrought nails and rivets. The tops of the straps are beautifully decorated with a hammered double spade. A similar strap runs from end to end under the bottom and incorporates superb wrought handles. The corners are fitted with two heavy wrought corner pieces, decorated in the same style as the strapping.

The lock on this chest is simply a masterpiece of the 18th Century blacksmith's art. Closing the lid plunges the wrought keep into a pair of jaws on the top of the lock and the chest is locked. Turning the key opens the jaws and releases the keep. The keep is riveted to the lid. The lock is riveted to the center front strap. The lock appears totally original and is still fully functional. And the key is simply a beautiful object in its own right.

The strap hinges run across most of the width of the lid. They swell out in way of two massive rivets through the lid and then continue to hammered decorative ends, which match the sraps and corner pieces.

The lid is made from two pieces of timber tongued together along their length and each tenons through the end mouldings, to hold the mouldings in place. The front moulding is secured in place with timber pegs. The back and front are made are two pieces of timber and the ends three pieces, all well held by the iron strapping.

The ironwork on this chest is of a very high quality indeed – strong, purposful and beautiful. And it provided, for its day, a high level of security. Over the years, probably many of them spent at sea, the iron bands across the bottom of the chest have partially corroded away, decaying the bottom boards of the chest in the process, and these have been replaced fairly recently. There is also some repair work to the bottom edge of the back of the chest, again almost certainly necessitated by decay caused by the action of sea water and the iron straps.

This ancient chest is simply a wonderful piece to own. Its large size, its obvious antiquity and its superb craftmanship, give it a prescence and a palpable sense of history. And it still performs its original function of secure storage for valued possessions – just don't shut the lid until you are sure you have the key outside the box!

This is a rare opportunity to aquire such an ancient piece, so beautiful and in such superb condition as this.

Approx. Dimensions:
Please note these carefully as the chest is large and heavy. The dimensions are given over the mouldings where appropriate.

Length: 58" (1475mm). Width: 26³/₈" (670mm). Height: 23¹/₄" (590mm). Height Open: 47¹/₄" (1200mm). Weight: 123 lbs (56kg).

Price and Shipping Options:

You are welcome to collect from the Zadoc Brewster House in Rockland. Within the "Pick-up" price we will deliver free (or meet you) up to 200 miles from Rockland. Alternatively we will carefully pack the chest and ship by UPS Freight at a flat rate for the 48 Contiguous States. For Alaska and Hawaii and International Shipping please contact us. Please select your option below. We accept Credit Cards and PayPal.

Pick-up in Rockland or delivery up to 200 miles $900.00 Including Flat-rate Shipping 48 US States $1,350.00