'Armada' Chest, wrought iron, painted; the lock of steel, engraved, German (Nuremberg) 17th century

Painted, wrought iron Armada chest with engraved steel lock. Grotesques, flowers, ship and a tree are depicted.

The name 'Armada' chest is applied to a distinctive type of coffer, made of wrought iron strengthened with interlaced bands of the same material. A large number of these exists. As here, in most examples the lock, often elaborately engraved, occupies the whole of the inside of the lid and generally has eight bolts which catch under the in-turned edges of the sides. There is often an imitation keyhole in front, the real one being concealed in the lid, and sometimes two or more staples for padlocks. Many were originally painted but the painting rarely survives.

The term 'Armada' chest does not seem to have been current before the 19th century. It presumably originated in the erroneous belief that these coffers were designed to hold bullion for the financing of the Spanish Armada, and that they were subsequently washed up from wrecked ships. The theory is negated by the fact that most examples are considerably later in date than the Armada. The chests vary little in design but were made in all sizes, from a few inches in length intended for jewellery, to five or six feet in length, suitable for a banker's reserve. They served as the forerunners of the modern commercial steel safe. Large numbers were made in Southern Germany, particularly in Nuremberg, from the end of the sixteenth century to the last quarter of the eighteenth, and exported to all parts of Europe.

4211-1856