Gothic Wooden Chest - France - 15th Century, Altered In The 18th Century

A rectangular oak chest, richly molded and carved, featuring on all four sides an elaborate decoration of flamboyant Gothic arcades, openwork foliage, pinnacles, and tracery. The front is adorned with two large carved panels framing a central panel decorated with a monogrammed shield resting on a vase with foliage.

The sides feature the same Gothic decorative style, with wide trefoil arcades surmounted by flamboyant tracery. The entire piece rests on a carved plinth.

The lid, which opens on long antique wrought-iron hinges, shows signs of earlier alterations.

The piece is likely composed of elements from the late 15th century, reassembled and restored during the 18th and 19th centuries, notably the lid, the base, and certain parts of the structure.

This type of reassembly, combining antique panels with a modified structure, is relatively common among the Gothic chests that have survived to the present day, as many of them have undergone restoration or alteration over the centuries.