A rare medieval chest in milled oak with wide uprights and solid panels mounted with tongue and groove, slightly recessed on the sides. The frame of the front panel is highlighted with fine mouldings, the top is made of two boards joined together flat, moulded on the front and with guilloche decoration on the sides, the inner escutcheon on the lid repeats the same decoration. Hasp lock with palastre cut with fleurons at the corners, hinges. Circa 1300. Height: 84 cm - Length: 147 cm - Depth: 60.5 cm (Hinges and hasp have been redone in the past) This chest, with its clean lines, is a rare example of the beginnings of the hutch, perhaps still the work of a "grande cognée" carpenter, i.e. a craftsman who made carpentry. It has survived in excellent condition, and even still has its small inner box, known as an eclipette, used to store small objects; only the hinges on the lid appear to have been changed. Few pieces of furniture from this period can be seen today, but some survive in certain religious buildings, such as the cathedrals of Noyon (Oise) and Bayeux (Calvados), or in remote churches, such as Aubazine in the Corrèze, and its famous 13th-century armoire, the oldest piece of furniture in France, whose sober construction is reminiscent of this chest. Expert: Cabinet Fligny, Paris.