Bone and Ebony Inlaid Walnut Coffer. Commonwealth–Charles II period, c. 1655–1670
Walnut with bone inlay.
This richly decorated coffer is constructed with paneled walnut boards and a hinged lid. The front is ornamented with intricate bone and ebony inlay, including a chevron-patterned frieze and four scrolled corbel motifs. Below, two molded panels display checkered star inlays, flanking a central panel designed as a perspectival architectural archway. Within this illusionistic scene, fine stringing forms a radiant sunburst above a “chessboard” floor pattern. The composition is framed by turned columns and molded surrounds.
Such coffers were used for storage of linens, clothing, or valuables in seventeenth-century English households. The elaborate geometric and architectural inlays reflect the taste for bold ornament and perspectival design during the later Commonwealth and early Restoration periods.
The coffer stands on a later plinth base with square stiles.
Dimensions:
170 × 66.5 × 78.5 cm (66½ × 26 × 30½ in.)
Comparanda:
Related coffers of similar design appear in The History of English Furniture, Vol. II, where examples dated 1650–1660 display comparable bone inlay and geometric decoration. Comparable bone-inlaid coffers and chests were also sold at auctions held by Christie's in New York (2003) and London (2013).
