Large oak chest, with emblematic carved Second Renaissance d - Lot 401

Lot n° 401
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Estimation :
3000 - 5000 EUR
Result : NC
Large oak chest, with emblematic carved Second Renaissance d - Lot 401
Large oak chest, with emblematic carved Second Renaissance decoration. France (Auvergne?), second half of the 16th early 17th century Large chest made of four panels, three of which are carved, assembled and pegged to the vertical uprights; base encircled by a moulded cornice and decorated with a frieze of interlacing palmettes; lid with three original fittings; iron side handles. Dimensions: h. 71 x w. 107 x l. 64 cm. Good state of preservation, very little restoration: consolidated crack in the back; piece of cornice redone at the level of the rear left foot. The decoration of this chest, decorated on the front with two curious emblems, offers a remarkable set of reliefs. Between the uprights adorned with pillars engraved with curved pines, the side panels are carved in bas-relief with geometrical interlacing and chimeras. The front of the chest is structured in tau around two scrolled cartouches each housing an emblem. Separated by an overmantel with a cut-out leather composition adorned with a mirror and surmounted by a stamped frieze in the centre of a man's head wearing a feathered band, the two emblems are presented as follows: 1) on the left: a dolphin holding an anchor. This emblem, already appearing on the obverse of ancient coins, was revived after its publication in the Dream of Polyphile (1499). The Italian printers ALDO (or ALDUS) made it their trademark. It is usually accompanied by the motto "SEMPER FESTINA LENTE", but here the dolphin stands on its tail, head up. This dolphin wrapped around a marine anchor could evoke the Dauphins d'Auvergne. 2) right: two pignates, or pot à feu, receiving the rain that falls five drops away from a nebulous cloud. This second emblem presents a slightly modified version of that of Queen Catherine de Medici (who died in 1589). Catherine de Medici's emblem was a fire (or a heap of charred stones) sprinkled with a rain of tears, associated with the motto "ARDOREM EXTINCTA TES
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