WESTPHALIA, FIRST HALF 16TH CENTURY

This chest was the pre-eminent type in Westphalia from the mid-16th century onwards. Easily recognisable through its functional yet ornamental iron bands and high plank legs. It is these legs or 'Stollen' in German that give the name 'Stollentruhe' to this particular form of chest. The long legs were not merely ornamental, they also served a practical purpose; as the base of the legs deteriorated from rising damp or rot, the affected area could be shaven off without losing the functionality of the chest. Related chests include an example illustrated in H. Lüttgens, Alt- Aachener Wohnkultur; Ein Rundgang durch ein altes Aachener Haus im Wohnstil des 18. Jahrhunderts, Aachen, n.d., ill. 12, and comparable iron-bound chests illustrated in H. Kreisel, Die Kunst des Deutschen Möbels, Munich, 1974, pls. 45-46.
Further related examples sold at auction include one sold Christie's Amsterdam, 14 December 2005, lot 331 (EUR21,600), another sold Christie's, London, 26 June 2007, lot 255 (£9,000) and a third example featuring elaborately-carved feet and formerly in the Horsham Museum, West Sussex, sold Christie's, London, 9 March 2010 (£97,250).