What is the difference between a trunk and a chest?

In practice, very little. "Trunk" appears in roughly half the titles in this category and "chest" in the other half, and dealers apply them to the same object. Scale shifts the word rather than the form. The smallest are called caskets or boxes, the heavier iron-bound examples coffers, and a few chests for valuables are called strong boxes.

Which woods were used for colonial chests?

Teak leads, named in about a quarter of titles, with camphor wood next and a plain "hardwood" description behind that. Beyond those three the timbers are unusually varied for one category. Padouk, walnut, satinwood, rosewood, mahogany, elm, oak, larchwood, sandalwood, palisander and ebony all appear in the samples.

How old are colonial chests?

Dating here tends to be a century rather than a year. Forty-eight of the 109 listings say only "19th Century" and nine say only "18th Century". Only 34 carry a clean year, spread thinly from the 1750s to the 1910s. A handful are given as Victorian or Edwardian instead, and three sampled pieces reach back to the 17th century.

Are Zanzibar chests part of this category?

Yes. Zanzibar chests are named in five titles, one of them described as African outright, which makes it the most distinctive single origin term after India. They belong with the iron-bound and studded coffers, a group that accounts for roughly a tenth of the category.

What does a campaign chest mean in these listings?

It means the piece was made to travel with an officer or official abroad, where furniture moved with its owner. The word appears in a sixth of titles. The group covers officers' travelling trunks, a military teak trunk, gentleman's travelling chests and miniature campaign trunks. One campaign piece in the samples is a cellarette rather than a trunk.

Are colonial chests marked with a maker's name?

Not in this category. A scan of the dealer descriptions for maker, workshop and retailer names returned nothing at all. What listings identify instead is origin and timber: Indian, Anglo-Indian, Dutch colonial, Spanish, Portuguese, Ceylonese, and the wood the chest is built from.

Home > Chests > Colonial Chests > Page 4

Antique Colonial Chests

61 items · page 4 of 4

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A lidded hardwood storage box made in or for the colonial trade, strapped in brass or iron and fitted with carrying handles, built so that possessions could survive a sea voyage.

19th century

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Camphor Trunk/chest

From Midwinter Antiques

£995

FOR SALE

chests

19th century

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Camphor Wood Box

From Claire Langley Antiques

£800

FOR SALE

chests

19th century

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19th Century Anglo-indian Trunk

From Anthony Short Antiques

£1,400

FOR SALE

chests

C19th Dutch Colonial Teak and Ebony Brass-mounted Chest or Trunk on Stand .

19th century

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C19th Dutch Colonial Teak and Ebony Brass-mounted Chest or Trunk on Stand .

From M Lees and Sons

£900

FOR SALE

chests

19th century

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Zanzibar Chest

From Spencer Robertson Antiques

£1,250

FOR SALE

chests

Antique Studded Zanzibar Chest, African, Carriage Trunk, Victorian, Circa 1850

19th century

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Antique Studded Zanzibar Chest, African, Carriage Trunk, Victorian, Circa 1850

From London Fine Antiques

£1,495

FOR SALE

chests

Rare Mid C19th Indian Lacquered Chest / Trunk on Stand

19th century

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Rare Mid C19th Indian Lacquered Chest / Trunk on Stand

From Gary Wright Antiques Ltd

£2,250

FOR SALE

chests

19th century

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Large 19th Century Portuguese Teak Ripple Moulded Coffer

From Hansord Antiques

£4,800

FOR SALE

chests

19th century

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Anglo-indian Iron Bound Coffer

From Arcadia Antiques

£1,495

FOR SALE

chests

An Original Camphorwood Trunk with Brass Fittings

19th century

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An Original Camphorwood Trunk with Brass Fittings

From Beech and Springs Antiques

£355

FOR SALE

chests

The timbers named on Sellingantiques run wide for one category: teak, camphor, padouk, walnut, satinwood, rosewood, mahogany, elm, oak, larchwood, sandalwood, palisander and ebony.

19th century

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Very Large Indian Trunk

From Ropeworks Antiques

£1,280

FOR SALE

chests

1900 - 1920

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Victorian Solid Teak Trunk

From The Dorking Desk Shop

£475

FOR SALE

chests

19th century

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Camphor Trunk/chest

From Midwinter Antiques

£1,500

FOR SALE

chests

← 1 2 3 4 →

Antique Colonial Chests

Camphor Trunk/chest

Camphor Wood Box

19th Century Anglo-indian Trunk

C19th Dutch Colonial Teak and Ebony Brass-mounted Chest or Trunk on Stand .

Zanzibar Chest

Antique Studded Zanzibar Chest, African, Carriage Trunk, Victorian, Circa 1850

Rare Mid C19th Indian Lacquered Chest / Trunk on Stand

Large 19th Century Portuguese Teak Ripple Moulded Coffer

Anglo-indian Iron Bound Coffer

An Original Camphorwood Trunk with Brass Fittings

Very Large Indian Trunk

Victorian Solid Teak Trunk

Camphor Trunk/chest

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