Strongbox
Category
Furniture
Date
circa 1600 - 1650
Materials
Iron, paint, steel
Measurements
49 x 61 x 48 cm
Place of origin
Germany
Order this imageCollection
Packwood House, Warwickshire
NT 557570
Summary
A painted iron strongbox, German, circa 1600-1650. Bound with riveted iron straps and painted all-over with red flowers against a green ground, the front with two hasps and an elaborate dummy escutcheon, the interior painted and the five-bolt locking mechanism to the underside of the lid covered by a pierced steel plate engraved with figures, the sides fitted with iron handles, the bolts are thrown by a key turning in a concealed lock in the lid. Key present. This is one of around thirty chests of this type in the collections of the National Trust, often referred to as 'Armada' chests. An example with very similar painted floral decoration is at Sizergh Castle (NT 997992).