A 16th Century Boarded Oak Clamp-front Meal Chest Or Ark, Welsh Borders, Circa 1550

A 16th century boarded oak clamp-front meal chest or ark, Welsh Borders, circa 1550
Having a typical dome-lid constructed using three overlapping boards wedged and tenoned into the upright and extended shaped-ends.
Fantastic colour and surface, good condition having a couple of minor repairs and losses only to be expected on an item of this age.
An ark was typically used for the storage of grain, such as meal, corn and flour. Traditionally it is thought the lid was not fixed in place and once removed the dished underside allowed use as a trough for kneading dough.
Literature:
Cescinsky and Gribble, Early English Furniture and Woodwork (1922), Vol. II, pp. 11-12, figs. 9-11, illustrates two comparable arks, both dated to the 15th century. See also Ralph Edwards, Dictionary of English Furniture (1986), Vol. II, p. 29, fig. 3.
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