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.

Comparable 'Nonsuch' chests to the offered lot include six examples which range in date from 1570-1600. One coffer is illustrated in G. Beard and J. Goodison, English Furniture, 1500-1840, 1987, Oxford, fig. 2, p. 24, and two versions appear in P. Macquoid, A History of English Furniture, The Age of Oak, 1989, London, fig.'s 103 & 105, p. 59. A 'Nonsuch' forms part of the collection at the Victoria and Albert museum, Accession No. 342:1,2-1905 (collections.vam.ac.uk), whilst further notable models of this type have also sold via Houlston, Ref: 3409 (houlston.uk.com), and Christie's, 15 September 2011, The Cowdray Sale at Cowdray Park, West Sussex, lot 263.

It is interesting to note that in all six of these related 'Nonsuch' examples the fronts are configured in a different way to the front on the present chest. Typically they incorporate an upper row of inlaid dormer windows, whilst the main larger panels appear interspersed with longer tablets, with each longer tablet inlaid with a more elongated version of the distinctive 'Nonsuch' style turreted tower than those that feature on the main ones. Also, four of these comparables have distinctive twin architectural portico mouldings applied to their fronts, a characteristic which is absent from the two others and of course from the above version as well.

Arguably, the most similar 'Nonsuch' coffer to the offered lot appears in the form of a colour plate - one of a number of brilliant illustrations executed by Shirley Slocombe - in Macquoid, Ibid, pl. VIII(b). This model is perhaps closest to the current chest and should rightly be considered very rare in that it is inlaid with the date: 1592.

For more information and history on these fascinating 'Nonsuch' chests please refer to the footnote text at: houlston.uk.com/furniture/coffers-and-chests/a-rare-elizabeth-i-oak-and-inlaid-nonsuch-chest-norwich-or-southwark-circa-1580