Rare Venetian Money Box Made Of Cedar Wood Featuring A Map Of The City Of Candia And Secrets – 17th Century (ca.

Rare Venetian Coin Cabinet in Cedar with a Map of the City of Candia and Secret Compartments – 17th Century (ca. 1650–1670)

An exceptional Venetian coin cabinet made of cedar wood, of great historical and collectible interest. Stylistic analysis, iconography, and craftsmanship place its creation in the second half of the 17th century, linking it directly to the events of the War of Candia (1645–1669).

Historical Context and Cartography The most valuable feature is the outer doors, which are engraved with a miniature map of the City of Candia (present-day Heraklion, Crete), a stronghold of Venetian rule in the Aegean. It depicts the imposing “modern-style” star-shaped fortifications with bastions, the harbor, and the inscriptions I. CITTA VECCHIA along with strategic annotations. These furnishings were commissioned by high-ranking officers, mercenary captains, or Venetian nobles to commemorate the famous and grueling siege against the Ottoman Empire.

Pyrography and Stylistic Details

• Interior: The interior doors feature pyrographed and inked depictions of figures in Baroque-era attire (large feathered hats, knee-length trousers, elaborate collars), perfectly consistent with European fashion of the mid-17th century. The drawers are decorated with refined acanthus scrolls and arabesques.
• Exterior and Sides: Crafted using shallow carving with a punched/embossed background (typical of the Venetian-Dalmatian and Alpine regions), they depict scenes of deer hunting and flat-relief plant motifs.

Internal Architecture and “Secret” Mechanism: The interior front is arranged around a small aedicule-style temple with a pediment and shaped columns. The central structure conceals a typical secret compartment mechanism: by releasing the internal latches—accessible by pulling out the adjacent drawers—the entire block of the small temple slides out from the front, revealing compartments and small hidden drawers intended for gold coins, seals, and confidential documents.

Technical Details

• Material: Cedar wood (historically prized in the Veneto-Adriatic region for its resistance to woodworms and its natural fragrance).
• 50 cm by 70 cm
• Hardware: Original wrought-iron lock and escutcheon in the shape of a shield.
• Period: 17th century (Venetian 17th century).
• Condition: Good overall condition, with original patina consistent with the period.