Large 1800s Scottish Barrel Top Trunk
Anyone need a pirate’s chest?
Even well over a century before today, the barrel top or dome topped (camel and hump top was never a term used for these period pieces) trunks were always the prefered storage and travel pieces over the flat topped. If you could afford them. Even now these barrel shapped trunks are highly sought after and those in the antique world are coveted by many.
Little information comes with this trunk but the owner did confirm it was “very old” and owned by a progenitor of Scottish decent. The tooled leather markings may or may not be a Scottish design. Hand tooled leather on antique trunks seemed to fizzle out by the 1870s so this piece likely dates before then. The interior top tray is missing as well a the possiblity of a hat box that may have rested inside the fall out top. Overall it could use a specialist restoration to much of the interior and a few parts of the leather exterior. Much of the original black Japanning still exists on the hand forged iron straps and exhibits a lovely patina. The brass metal latch comes with an original key as well as a spare reproduction one.
One of the handles is broken and the other miraculously still attached and in working order. All rolling wheels inset in iron base still function and move well. For its age and character this antique is still in amazing shape and adds some historic leather craftsmanship to the admirable leather and woodworking features.
A grand size of 3 feet long, 20” deep and over 2 feet tall. this would be a treasured (no pun intended) and uniquely beautiful piece of history for any home.
Anyone need a pirate’s chest?
Even well over a century before today, the barrel top or dome topped (camel and hump top was never a term used for these period pieces) trunks were always the prefered storage and travel pieces over the flat topped. If you could afford them. Even now these barrel shapped trunks are highly sought after and those in the antique world are coveted by many.
Little information comes with this trunk but the owner did confirm it was “very old” and owned by a progenitor of Scottish decent. The tooled leather markings may or may not be a Scottish design. Hand tooled leather on antique trunks seemed to fizzle out by the 1870s so this piece likely dates before then. The interior top tray is missing as well a the possiblity of a hat box that may have rested inside the fall out top. Overall it could use a specialist restoration to much of the interior and a few parts of the leather exterior. Much of the original black Japanning still exists on the hand forged iron straps and exhibits a lovely patina. The brass metal latch comes with an original key as well as a spare reproduction one.
One of the handles is broken and the other miraculously still attached and in working order. All rolling wheels inset in iron base still function and move well. For its age and character this antique is still in amazing shape and adds some historic leather craftsmanship to the admirable leather and woodworking features.
A grand size of 3 feet long, 20” deep and over 2 feet tall. this would be a treasured (no pun intended) and uniquely beautiful piece of history for any home.
Anyone need a pirate’s chest?
Even well over a century before today, the barrel top or dome topped (camel and hump top was never a term used for these period pieces) trunks were always the prefered storage and travel pieces over the flat topped. If you could afford them. Even now these barrel shapped trunks are highly sought after and those in the antique world are coveted by many.
Little information comes with this trunk but the owner did confirm it was “very old” and owned by a progenitor of Scottish decent. The tooled leather markings may or may not be a Scottish design. Hand tooled leather on antique trunks seemed to fizzle out by the 1870s so this piece likely dates before then. The interior top tray is missing as well a the possiblity of a hat box that may have rested inside the fall out top. Overall it could use a specialist restoration to much of the interior and a few parts of the leather exterior. Much of the original black Japanning still exists on the hand forged iron straps and exhibits a lovely patina. The brass metal latch comes with an original key as well as a spare reproduction one.
One of the handles is broken and the other miraculously still attached and in working order. All rolling wheels inset in iron base still function and move well. For its age and character this antique is still in amazing shape and adds some historic leather craftsmanship to the admirable leather and woodworking features.
A grand size of 3 feet long, 20” deep and over 2 feet tall. this would be a treasured (no pun intended) and uniquely beautiful piece of history for any home.
*Note that we did not call this a “Steamer Trunk” Steamers often imposed strick luggage sizes with passengers and the average trunks made for steamer travel were flat topped and much smaller than these larger dome topped chests.