Guild Chest, 1599
Beech, marquetry and intarsia in different woods
(H x W x D)41 × 50 × 35 cm
Place of originSouth Germany
About the workThis small chest had an official function: it was used to store the official papers, certificates and symbols of a carpenters’ guild. At the masters’ meetings, the chest stood in the middle of the table, because the strictly regulated negotiations could only be conducted when the drawer was open. From the Middle Ages until the nineteenth century in northern and central Europe, guilds were associations of local craftsmen formed to protect their interests regarding wages, prices, employment levels or even the provision for widows. Women’s guilds only existed in the lower-ranking textile sector.
AccessionAcquired 1927 from the Kunstgewerbemuseum
Provenance[...]; mind. 12.9.1884 Auktionshaus Gedon; 12.9.1884 ehem. Kunstgewerbemuseum Düsseldorf (1883-1927) angekauft vom Auktionshaus Gedon; 1927 übernommen aus dem Kunstgewerbemuseum
Inventory numberP 1370
