Walnut coffer with wrought iron fastenings and hasp, decorated with Gothic tracery, made in France, 15th century

Walnut, the front is carved with two panels each occupied by a fleur de lys within a border of cusps. The back and the lid are each decorated with two panels and the sides with one each, filled in with Gothic tracery. There is a wrought iron lock with buttress-shaped fastenings and a hasp, and two long hinge-bands of the same metal pierced with Gothic tracery. The coffer is fitted inside with a small compartment with a hinged lid.

Acquired from Emile Peyre of 146 Avenue Malakoff, Paris, at the price of £7
Condition 'wormeaten'

Listed in Peyre's house as no. 141 'Oak coffer with large fleur-de-lys' in a typed version of the 'Inventory of the contents rooms [sic] containing that part of Monsieur Peyre's Collection, iron-work and wood-work which he is willing to sell. The rooms are all on the ground floor of the house.' The inventory is numbered 1-329, with description and price, arranged by room; it was drawn up in early March 1895 by Thomas Armstrong (Director for Art 1881-98) and Caspar Purdon Clarke (Assistant Director and from 1896 Director of the Art Museum, later Director of the Metropolitan Museum, New York).
Located in the room marked C in an annotated sketch plan of the ground floor of Peyre's house, which apparently accompanied a letter dated 28/2/1895 from Armstrong to Major General Sir John Donnelly (secretary of the Science and Art Department).

715-1895