- 117
An important English medieval oak boarded chest 15th century
Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 EUR
bidding is closed
Description
- 77.5cm. high, 159cm. wide, 59cm. deep
the hinged cover with moulded frame, the front carved with a cockatrice and wyvern above a shaped and moulded apron, the interior with a till and newspaper lining dated 1812, later painted
Condition
In overall reasonably good condition. With dents, marks, scratches due to use and age. One horizontal dryness crack to the lower left front and one large horizontal dryness crack from the upper right to the lower left (as visible in the catalogue image). Vertical dryness cracks to the right side. Wear to the feet. The inside partly covered with the English newspaper "Coventry Herald", dated May 8 1812. The lock in non-working condition. Three rings attached to the back of the coffer.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
The carved symbolism evidenced on this chest is complex and rich in meaning. The front panel features two mythological beasts; a cockatrice, a serpent with the body and head of a cockerel and a wyvern, a ferocious winged beast distinguished from a dragon by its two legs, positioned either side of a grotesque mask.
These images are quite frightening and these exotic portrayals offer the viewer a narrative.
Both beasts were widely reproduced in the early decorative arts. The earliest mention would appear to be by Pliny in 1 A.D, he describes the horrors that the cockatrice could inflict on those who encountered it, including breath that could petrify the living or the dead. From the mediaeval period the cockatrice is sometimes referred to as a Basilisk, a monstrous lizard or snake that then from this period takes on the characteristics of the cockatrice. See The Age of Oak and Walnut, these rooms, 13 September 2006 for a series of panels, one of which also features a cockatrice. The wyvern, is often seen used as a heraldic device typically as a supporter to a coat of arms. There was a recorded example from the fourteenth century on a chest in Chevington Church, Suffolk which features a splendid example.
Both creatures could be seen as representations of evil, as devils incarnate, subjugating mankind to the horrors that straying from a noble and Christian path can bring.
On another level the historical meaning that surrounds the wyvern is contradictory to the above. We have a noble beast, when used in heraldry, poles apart from the cockatrice. A symbol of power, strength and endurance.
The mask is a very interesting device. It would appear that it can be turned on an axis and viewed as a grimacing face. The nose on this fierce face could also be interpreted as an erect phallus - perhaps this monster is a personification of lust. Its very 'otherness' and difference from the norm is unsettling. These human half beasts are sometimes seen as illustrations of 'human nature subjugated by animal passions' Christa Gössinger, The World upside down. English Miserichords, London, 1997, p.14.
Perhaps the carving on this fascinating chest could be seen as, not just a portrayal of these ancient beasts entwined, but a representation of the wrestle between good and bad; the great conflict that all of humanity is faced by. Perhaps the early viewer may have easily digested this meaning - it certainly provided the carver of this lot with evocative and dramatic subject matter.
As discussed these beasts appear throughout the early decorative arts. Fred Roe in his seminal text Ancient Coffers and Cupboards, London, 1902 illustrates some wonderful examples carved into chests, p. 29 and p. 35. Victor Chinnery illustrates an example, Oak Furniture, The British Tradition, Woodbridge, 1979, p. 414, fig. 4.3 possibly from the same school as the examples illustrated by Roe. Shaw records another clamp fronted chest featuring beasts to each front stile, see Ancient Furniture, London, 1836, pl. xxx, also see Charles Tracey, English Mediaeval Furniture And Woodwork, London, 1988, p. 101, fig. 38 for a carved pew end in St Mary's, Sonham portrayal of these beasts when compared to the examples cited above, it also lacks the blind tracery and architectural detailing seen in these. The offered lot would appear to be a stand alone example of the early joiner/wood carvers oeuvre.
These images are quite frightening and these exotic portrayals offer the viewer a narrative.
Both beasts were widely reproduced in the early decorative arts. The earliest mention would appear to be by Pliny in 1 A.D, he describes the horrors that the cockatrice could inflict on those who encountered it, including breath that could petrify the living or the dead. From the mediaeval period the cockatrice is sometimes referred to as a Basilisk, a monstrous lizard or snake that then from this period takes on the characteristics of the cockatrice. See The Age of Oak and Walnut, these rooms, 13 September 2006 for a series of panels, one of which also features a cockatrice. The wyvern, is often seen used as a heraldic device typically as a supporter to a coat of arms. There was a recorded example from the fourteenth century on a chest in Chevington Church, Suffolk which features a splendid example.
Both creatures could be seen as representations of evil, as devils incarnate, subjugating mankind to the horrors that straying from a noble and Christian path can bring.
On another level the historical meaning that surrounds the wyvern is contradictory to the above. We have a noble beast, when used in heraldry, poles apart from the cockatrice. A symbol of power, strength and endurance.
The mask is a very interesting device. It would appear that it can be turned on an axis and viewed as a grimacing face. The nose on this fierce face could also be interpreted as an erect phallus - perhaps this monster is a personification of lust. Its very 'otherness' and difference from the norm is unsettling. These human half beasts are sometimes seen as illustrations of 'human nature subjugated by animal passions' Christa Gössinger, The World upside down. English Miserichords, London, 1997, p.14.
Perhaps the carving on this fascinating chest could be seen as, not just a portrayal of these ancient beasts entwined, but a representation of the wrestle between good and bad; the great conflict that all of humanity is faced by. Perhaps the early viewer may have easily digested this meaning - it certainly provided the carver of this lot with evocative and dramatic subject matter.
As discussed these beasts appear throughout the early decorative arts. Fred Roe in his seminal text Ancient Coffers and Cupboards, London, 1902 illustrates some wonderful examples carved into chests, p. 29 and p. 35. Victor Chinnery illustrates an example, Oak Furniture, The British Tradition, Woodbridge, 1979, p. 414, fig. 4.3 possibly from the same school as the examples illustrated by Roe. Shaw records another clamp fronted chest featuring beasts to each front stile, see Ancient Furniture, London, 1836, pl. xxx, also see Charles Tracey, English Mediaeval Furniture And Woodwork, London, 1988, p. 101, fig. 38 for a carved pew end in St Mary's, Sonham portrayal of these beasts when compared to the examples cited above, it also lacks the blind tracery and architectural detailing seen in these. The offered lot would appear to be a stand alone example of the early joiner/wood carvers oeuvre.