Chest 'stollentruhe'

This oak 'stollentruhe' is mounted with a multitude of iron straps. On the front there is a square lock plate with an external hasp, and next to it two rings with hinged clasps. The Westphalian chest is a typical stollentruhe: a chest on high legs, made of large oak planks and mounted with iron bands with studs, which are both decorative and functional. The legs consist of four vertical planks, which serve as lateral closures to the front and back walls and form the supporting structure of the chest. These characteristic high legs protected the contents of the chest from damp and dirty ground and could easily be sawn off in case of rot. The chests had a large storage capacity and the ironwork made them a decorative part of the household in the late Middle Ages and Renaissance. They were used to store valuable goods, clothes, books, weapons, but also food, textiles and more. In addition, the stollentruhes could be found in public buildings, churches, monasteries and castles.