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Lot offered by Bukowskis, part of the Bonhams network

A Private Collection From an Early 15th Century Sussex Manor House

Lot 17^TP

A rare French first half 16th century oak and fruitwood 'vestment' chest or coffer
Possibly Franco-Flemish

Vernacular Furniture, Naïve Art, and Textiles

23 September – 7 October 2025, 12:00 BST

Online, London, Knightsbridge

Sold for £1,536 inc. premium

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Oliver Cornish

Sale Coordinator for Furniture, Sculpture, Rugs & Tapestries

Tel: +442039886382

Oliver.Cornish@bonhams.com

Thomas Moore

Head of Department

Tel: +44 20 8963 2816

Thomas.Moore@bonhams.com

A rare French first half 16th century oak and fruitwood 'vestment' chest or coffer

Possibly Franco-Flemish
Of typical panelled construction, the front four panels carved with elaborate 'flamboyant' gothic cusped and ribbed pointed arched panels inset with flowerheads, each side with two conforming panels, 157cm wide x 62cm deep x 77cm high, (61 1/2in wide x 24in deep x 30in high)

Footnotes

Provenance
Until now the offered lot formed part of a collection of furniture and works of art, ranging from the 15th century to the 18th century, which furnished an early 15th century Sussex manor house. This collection was amassed predominantly over the course of the last quarter of the previous century; it includes a number of rare and, in a few instances, very early pieces.

Examples of related French 16th century chests or coffers with similar carved intricate gothic tracery or panels to those on the present lot include the following sold; Christie's, London, 4 December 2012, Interiors - Masters and Makers, lot 221; Christie's, London, 25 February 2014, Interiors - Masters and Makers, lots 325 & 328; and Christie's, London, 3 December 2013, Interiors - Masters and Makers, lot 209.

Two 'vestment' coffers of related, albeit possibly slightly earlier, date to the offered model appear illustrated in J. Thirion, Le Mobilier du Moyen Age et de la Renaissance en France, 1998, Dijon, pp.'s 36-37. They have slightly similar intricate 'flamboyant' gothic tracery carved front and front panels to the above.

Additional information

This auction is now finished. If you are interested in consigning in future auctions, please contact the specialist department. If you have queries about lots purchased in this auction, please contact client services.
Buyers' Obligations
ALL BIDDERS MUST AGREE THAT THEY HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD BONHAMS' CONDITIONS OF SALE AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THEM, AND AGREE TO PAY THE BUYER'S PREMIUM AND ANY OTHER CHARGES MENTIONED IN THE NOTICE TO BIDDERS. THIS AFFECTS THE BIDDERS LEGAL RIGHTS.
If you have any questions about the Conditions of Sale, please contact your nearest client services team.
From 28 June 2025, the import into the EU of non-EU property of a certain age (and in some categories above a certain value) is subject to additional requirements. Under the relevant EU Regulation, it is the Buyer's sole responsibility to assess whether any Lot meets the criteria for import into the EU. The refusal of any required Import Licence or Importer Statement, or any delay in obtaining such Licence or Statement shall not give rise to the rescission or cancellation of any Sale, nor allow any delay in making full payment for the Lot.
Buyers' Premium and Charges
For all Sales categories, buyer's premium excluding Cars, Motorbikes, Wine, Whisky and Coin & Medal sales, will be as follows:
Buyer's Premium Rates
28% on the first £40,000 of the hammer price;
27% of the hammer price of amounts in excess of £40,000 up to and including £800,000;
21% of the hammer price of amounts in excess of £800,000 up to and including £4,500,000;
and 14.5% of the hammer price of any amounts in excess of £4,500,000.
A 3rd party bidding platform fee of 4% of the Hammer Price for Buyers using the following bidding platforms will be added to the invoices of successful Buyers for auctions starting on or after 6th July 2024 – Invaluable; Live Auctioneers; The Saleroom; Lot-tissimo.
VAT at the current rate of 20% will be added to the Buyer's Premium and charges excluding Artists Resale Right.
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For payment information please refer to the sale catalog.
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For information and estimates on domestic and international shipping as well as export licenses please contact Bonhams Shipping Department.

Off site storage location

For auctions held in Scotland: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Constantine, Constantine House, North Caldeen Road, Coatbridge ML5 4EF, Scotland, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please refer to the catalogue for further information. For all other auctions: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Cadogan Tate, Auction House Services, 241 Acton Lane, London NW10 7NP, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please note transfer and storage charges will apply to any lots not collected after 14 calendar days from the auction date.

SEK6,000

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A rare French first half 16th century oak and fruitwood 'vestment' chest or coffer Possibly Franco-Flemish

Own a similar item?

Looking for a similar item?

Ask about this lot

Oliver Cornish

Thomas Moore

A rare French first half 16th century oak and fruitwood 'vestment' chest or coffer

Footnotes

Additional information

Auction information

Lot Symbols

Related Departments

Conditions of Sale

Bid now on these items

Niels Otto Møller (1920-1981) Four model 62 East Indian rosewood armchairs

Smoking table, 1920s/30s.

Salon table, Louis XVI style, second half of the 19th century.

Bookcase, jugend early 20th century.

Writing desk, second half of the 19th century.

Mirror, late 19th century.

Dressing table, "Finess", Fröseke, mid-20th century.

Chairs a pair, Rococo, mid / late 18th century.

Armchair/bed, Art Deco, first half of the 20th century.

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Armchairs 5 pcs DUX 1980s/90s.

TV table/Nightstand, later part of the 20th century.

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A rare French first half 16th century oak and fruitwood 'vestment' chest or coffer
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