Coffer
Maker Unknown
Date: Mid 17th century
Place Made: Italy or Southern Germany
Materials & Techniques: Carcase of oak, veneered with mother-of-pearl, with mounts of bronze, chased and gilded
Dimensions: 432 x 724 x 438 cm
Accession Number: Waddesdon Manor 2356
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A coffer is a grand box, used to contain very special things a bit like a treasure chest. This one is made of wood covered on the outside with squares of shell called mother-of-pearl that come from the lining of an oyster shell. Sometimes people kept things in these boxes which were made of the same material as the box, and so it might once have been full of valuable shells. The metal feet and the handle are in the shape of sea monsters called hippocamps part horse, part fish which also remind us where the shell originally came from.
The wooden structure is made of wood, and the mother-of-pearl is glued onto its surface. The corners of the box and lid are decorated with bronze mounts in curling patterns, gilded to look like gold, which makes the coffer look even more precious. We do not know who made it, but it was probably done in Germany or Italy about 350 years ago.
Some of the mother-of-pearl is damaged now. Can you see where it has been chipped?
Teachers' Information
This coffer, a large box or casket, appears very grand because of its surface covering. It is however, quite simply constructed from sections of oak which have then been veneered or glued on the outside with thin sheets of mother-of-pearl. The veneering is quite crude, as you can see from the way that not all the squares are lined up properly. The mother-of-pearl comes from the lining of an oyster shell. The outer surface of the shell is removed with a special knife, and then inner shell is cut into regularly shaped pieces before being sawn into the desired shape, the edges filed and finally polished.
The mother-of-pearl gives the coffer a shimmering, luxurious quality, which would have been accentuated by candle light. It was very common for the materials used for objects to reflect the contents or function, and it is possible that this coffer might have formed part of a larger collection of precious objects kept in a special room, known as a kunstkammer (art room) in Germany. Such collections were made by Princes and arisocratic collectors in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The four corners of this chest, and the handle, are made of gilt-bronze hippocamps, mythological sea creatures with the body of a horse and the tail of a fish, that attended Neptune, the Roman God of the Sea. The chest may have been intended to contain precious objects and curiosities made from materials that came from the sea. Many marine materials, like coral or shells were considered to be magical, or to have medicinal qualities.
Activities
1. Discuss other precious or curious materials that come from the sea that this chest might have contained.
2. How was the mother-of-pearl transformed from the lining of the oyster shell into the squares which cover this coffer.
3. The children could make and decorate their own treasure chest making sure that the exterior reflects the contents. A money box could be covered in gold and silver foil, for example.