Cottage chest, a folk art chef-d’œuvre – 17ᵗʰ century – Gers

Highly original and cleverly designed, this wedding gift chest, the work of a provincial cabinetmaker, shows an inventive and “no-nonsense” approach with special attention paid to the choice of wood species.

This chest is made up of six strong boards, all from the same tree: one board for the sculpted front, one board for the top, one for the back, one on each side and one for the bottom.

Their size shows how amazingly old the tree trunk must have been. Cut up into 70 cm long pieces, the trunk was more than 1 metre in diameter! So this chestnut tree was more than 150 years old and was probably at least 30 m high.

Cottage chest, a folk art chef-d’œuvre – 17ᵗʰ century – Gers

The boards have finger jointing, nailed firmly together with metal hinges.
The sheet metal keyhole surround is an exclusive design.
The base of this chest reveals fingernail motifs.
On either side of the front, two wheel shapes symbolise the rays of the Sun.
In the centre, 4 four-pointed stars stand out distinctly, shining brightly in the firmament.
A piece of furniture that is unique, a symbol of both earthly and celestial energy and
strength.

Dimensions: width – 150 cm; height – 78 cm; depth – 66 cm.
Price: on demand.

Two wheels symbolising the rays of the Sun

Reference: MP006

Cottage chest, a folk art chef-d’œuvre – 17ᵗʰ century – Gers

Cottage chest, a folk art chef-d’œuvre – 17ᵗʰ century – Gers

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