A charming and richly decorated table casket of small proportions, carved in walnut — the favoured timber of the Iberian and Southern Continental workshops — and retaining its original iron mounts, an increasingly difficult thing to find in unspoilt condition.

The rectangular lid is the piece's great flourish: a central panel carved with a bold stylised flowerhead amid scrolling foliage, framed by ribbed borders and deeply cut acanthus lunettes cascading over the canted edges. It is secured by a pair of long iron strap hinges with decorative pierced terminals, riveted over the lid in the Continental manner, and closes over a plain boarded body mounted with its original shaped iron lock plate. The base is finished with a gadrooned and lunette-carved moulding, applied foliate corner brackets, and four turned bun feet.

The interior is pleasingly honest, with an untouched surface and the expected marks of long use. The walnut has mellowed to a warm nut-brown of real depth, with crisp carving and a good patination.

Caskets of this type served as secure stores for documents, valuables, and household money — small enough to be carried to safety, decorative enough to sit proudly on a table or coffer.

Height: 7¾ in (20 cm) | Width: 10¾ in (27.5 cm) | Depth: 6½ in (16.5 cm)

Provenance: Probably Iberian, circa 1650.

Material: Walnut and iron.

Condition: Please refer to the images. The bun feet, whilst showing a great degree of age, appear to be associated and of a later date.

Dimensions: Height: 7¾ in (20 cm) | Width: 10¾ in (27.5 cm) | Depth: 6½ in (16.5 cm)