Circa. 1820. Very Large, Pine, Green Painted, Dowry Chest (Dutch).
 
A dowry chest, also called a hope chest, is a piece of furniture once commonly used by unmarried young women to collect items, such as clothing and household linen, in anticipation of married life.
 
CONDITION:
 
Absolutely stunning patina overall. Good structural condition. Signs of historic woodworm.
 
PROVENANCE:
 
Purchased from a distinguished, elderly gentleman who lived in a third floor, opulently decorated, apartment in the Oudeschans area of Amsterdam, Netherlands. It had previously belonged to his mother who had lived until she was 102 years old. To move this chest out of the apartment, it was craned out of the third floor window, onto a barge on the canal, before being lifted by four people into a waiting van on a bridge.