The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-08-09
THE CHEST.
Development of a Useful Article of
 Household Furniture.

Household Furniture.
 One of the very earliest, as we'll as the most important, pieces of furniture to be found in mediaeval homes was the chest. Its companions in the rude dwelling of that period were a stool of most primitive form, board set on trestles, which served to hold the wood en trenches and drinking cups, and oc- cassionally a bed. When the hunter, lord of the manor or ploughman came home from his labors he threw him. self on g. couch on the floor on which were spread some shins or rough wol- len cloth, which served for warmth. In many homes of some pretension there was but a single bed, in which the knight and his lady rested, while the remainder of the household lay up- on, the floor, or stretched themselves upon the chest, which contained the fortune of the family.
 There were no banks, no places where property might be stored and papers deposited, and each man held on to his goods by force of arms and the strength and secret contrivance of the ponderous locks which he had placed on his chests. They were rendered more secure at night by having a sleep with his sword near at hand, occupy ing the lid, and in the day the mistress o fthe manor and the faidens were at work all the time on their endless spin ming or tapestry work near at hand. There are very few chests remaining which can be identified as having made prior to the thirteenth century, only one or two, in fact and one of these at Stoke 'dAberon Church, in Surrey, England, is made Of oak, with the re- mains of three ponderous locks and some simple Gothic carving. One or two, said to be equally ancient, have ornamentation of iron work upon them, the design showing great skill in the working of the metal and beauty in the design. By 1233 we come to the period of documentary evidence as to what was in use by royalty at least, and from that series of papers known as the "Close Rolls" still preserved in England, can be drawn many details as ta what was in use. Commands of the King with reference to painting the rooms of himself and his Queen date from 1239. Though chairs did not come into common use till the sixteenth century there were benches with high backs for those who could afford them-and always the chest.
 The chests in which we are interested are of a later period and the earliest are of oak, carved or inlaid, standing flat on the ground or on legs made from the continuation of the stiles. The decoration was applied to the pam els of the front of which there were commonly three, and to the upper rail, the lower one being plain. It was in choice specimens only that the sides were panelled, and where the carving was made in Holland was often the case in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries) and then sent to England the wood of the body of the chest may be different from the panels. The tops or lids are plain with few exceptions Many of the chests to be found here have the lids of pine, though I have also sen many black oak, heavy and solid, though the mortised ends have had to be strengthened with nails.
 standing chests" or hutches, as they were also called, were named from a chest of similar style and of French make called "huohe." Every nation used these articles, and the indididual- H.. R , al, t, e,+o ,,,,aad ,,-n,, IT. ai,, v,rol uct. No Italian family was without it's "cassone," or marriage chest In it was stored wealth of linen and silk, jewels and velvet, the portion of the daughters of the house, which were freely displayed when callers came, so that the wealth of the family would be known and bring suitors forward, no matter how unattraotiye the lady.
 All Italian literature deals in one way or another with the chest. Lovers, and other criminals hid in them. Paint CTS lavished on them tne choicest la bOrs of their hands. Cabinet makers vied one with another as to which should produce the finest specimens, and besides the wood carvers artisans were employed to inlay them with and anything that could add to their richness. Gold leaf was added to all the other things, and little coffer or chest for lady's jewels had, in addi- tlon, trays lined with choicest Genoa velvet or silk from Damascus.
 Spain was not behind other Continent tai countries in her work upon chests and produced a kind of standing cabi- net or chest which Is always handsome and usually very ornate. I have seen some made of ebony and painted with the most charming designs, each one different even the small drawers be- hind the doors of the larger panels hav- ing their painting, too. Red velvet and gilt nails were affected occasionally by the Spanish on the legs of these chests, which was very poor art and perishable as well.
 It is rather interesting to compare these flowers of art with the simple pieces which were made in such num- bers in England and later in this eoun- ivory, toroise shell, pearl, lapis lazui try. They were sometimes called Bible boxes since the precious book was car