Posted 10 years ago
Dylan657
(4 items)
Hi ,
I was wondering if anyone has seen a chest like this before, it was given to me by a friend who said I was his grand mothers, it measures height 23 inches width is 21 inches and 41 inches long, there was a invoice inside for restoration work for the sum of £250 in 2006. Any information or age would be great!
Thanks for looking .
Paul.
Nice looking piece. I would call it vintage as opposed to an antique. All the joints are machine cut. Can't see the interior but looks to have been relined.
Do you think those joints are machined? Usually these big joints are hand done and the smaller ones are machined. The top and bottom joints are different sizes which would suggest hand done. Looks like an antique trunk to me... over 100 yrs. old in my books. Certainly open to corrections..
Also those look like hand forged early 1800's handles...
The lid is custom made as a fitted piece to keep out dust which is a mark of higher craftsmanship.
I am not sure where you got the idea that small joints are machine cut and big ones hand cut but you have been mislead. Actually small (very small) dovetails were first introduced in the 1700's.
Thanks fhrjr2 -- I don't know where I got the idea either -- which is why I asked... :). (thanks for the info...) This looks mid 1800's to me... but you think because of the dove tails it is 1900's?
Looks like a fine trunk, score !~
In my opinion, this is an early immigrant trunk, dating back to mid 1800's give or take a bit. I see no signs of the trunk being relined with anything, it looks original, along with what they called a candle box on the inside, I agree with trunkman, the lid has a groove probably chiseled out to fit the box part of the trunk, totally hand made, greendog
Noun-Box "A container with a flat base and sides, typically square or rectangular and having a lid." (English Oxford Dictionaries)
Noun-Trunk "A large box with a hinged lid for storing or transporting clothes and other articles." (English Oxford Dictionaries)
The item here is not a trunk, it is a box.
Well Gillian, reading your definition of trunk from ( English Oxford Dictionaries) I would say that this is a large box with a hinged lid, for storing or transporting clothing, which makes it a trunk, and they were referred to as Immigrant trunk's not Immigrant boxes, greendog.