Iron casket
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- Origin
- France
- Period
- 16th century
- Material
- iron, softwood base
- Height
- 29 cm
- Width
- 41 cm
- Depth
- 23 cm
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Description
This rectangular iron casket has a base of softwood, covered with iron bands. The bands are riveted with wrought-iron nails. The domed lid pivots on three hinges and has a rectangular forged handle. The casket closes with a built-in iron hinged lock with hinges on either side through which a padlock can be fastened. The inside of the chest is painted ochre yellow.
The triple lock suggests that the chest was originally used as a guild locker; three keys, belonging to three different members of the guild, were needed to open the chest. Only together could they access the, often valuable, contents of the chest. In addition to storage, guild chests often played an important role in guild life.