8th – 13th Century.

By Stephen Francis Wyley

2005 Australasian Medieval Conference Lecture.

Thanks to the following people for providing information: Dr. Peter Beatson, Stuart Laird, Peter Raftos, Ian Rogers, Robert Schuster and Andrea Willet.

1 Introduction
2 The uses of chests and caskets.
3 Chest and casket development in Europe.
4 Materials used in construction of chests and caskets.
5 Chest and casket design and manufacture depend on a number of factors.
6 Catalogue of extant chests and caskets.
7 Lock and key development.
8 Manuscript depictions of chests and caskets.
9 Making your own replica chest or caskets.
10 Bibliography
11 Further reading
12 Web pages
13 Appendix 1. Metal finds related to chests and caskets.
14 Appendix 2. Chest plans and drawings.

Thes notes are to provide you with a quick overview of the storage devices such as chest and caskets from the 7th to the 13th centuries in Europe. Reliquaries, boxes, and chests and caskets of the 14th – 16th century will have to wait till another day. And a similar situation arises for chests and casket of the East, which will be a subject in itself.

I intend to cover such areas as: development, design and manufacture, materials used, provide a catalogue of extant items, details on locks and key, manuscript depictions of chests and caskets, and finally, a section on how to go about making you own. Other information will also be found in the appendix, including extant metal finds from chests and actual chest plans and drawings. In the catalogue I have endeavoured to provide information on a range of extant chest and casket, indicating the date of the piece, where it originated from, the current collection details, and then some details of the extant finds themselves (materials, dimensions, design, decoration and contents).

I intended to see this information published in the Varangian Voice. Copies will also be made available on request.

Stephen Wyley
(Sven)
January 2005.
 
 

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