Title: The Medieval Chest and its Legacy on Art and Design
Author: Thomas Alexander Dracup
Publication Year/Date: May 2024
Document Version: Fine Art Hons dissertation
License: CC-BY-NC-ND
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
DOI: https://doi.org/10.20933/100001303
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Thomas Alexander Dracup
Adissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of a Bachelor ofArts (Hons) Degree in FineArt.
Word Count: 6545
FineArt BA(Hons)
Exhibition Dissertation
Duncan of Jordanstone College ofArt and Design Dundee University
Academic Year 2023/2024
Medieval chests are an underappreciated part of the medieval era that has had a surprisingly large impact on the modern world, particularly in furniture design, culture and entertainment. The Medieval Era is often inaccurately depicted inmodernmediasuch as films and video games.This has the unfortunate effect of spreading misinformation and unrealistic interpretations of history.An area of particular relevance is the daily lives and belongings of medieval people which can tell a lot about both past and present culture. Much of our modernworld is heavily influenced by seemingly unimportant elements of the past, such as furniture.
The purpose of this exhibition is tobring attention to this aspect of medieval history and art and the influence it has had on the contemporary world, from people working in creative and entertainment industries as wellas academics and medieval reenactors.
The exhibition will display three original medieval chests along with medieval manuscripts and paintings and this will be juxtaposed withmodernfurniture, video games and entertainment. The original chests areincluded toprovide an accurate andcompelling example of medieval art, craftsmanship andmaterial culture. The historicalartworks depicting medieval chests convey thesymbolic and culturalimpact of chests in medieval and early modernculture and society.This is linked tothe contemporary worldthrough aseries of 20th Century and 21st Century examples of furniture including safes, chests of drawers and suitcases as well as examples of popular films and video games that feature chests as functional objects or narrative aspects.
This exhibition dissertation aims tohighlight the underappreciated legacy of the medieval chest inmodern culture, design and entertainment. Toachieve this, it will take the form of an exhibition featuring paintings and manuscripts depicting chests, extant original chests and a selection of contemporary objects and media highlighting the cultural, aesthetic and symbolic legacy of medieval chests. The exhibition will be located at the Dundee ContemporaryArts Centre (DCA) and shall be divided intothree sections.The first part covers the original art and design by displaying three physical examples of medieval chests, the second part showcases the cultural and symbolic elements that arose from medieval chests andthe third part explores the modern legacy of medieval chests through furniture and various media forms such as films andvideo games.
The intended audience are people who areinterested in medieval history,creative industry professionals and university students studying history and creative subjects such as art and design.Akey part of theintended audience is also members of historical reenactment societies focused onmedieval history. Medieval reenactment groups are involved in educating audiences about accuratehistory including everyday aspects of medieval peopleâs lives. They achieve this through creating historically accurate items and portrayals of historical people. Reenactment groups organiseactivities, work with schools, attend festivals and often are involved in producing scenes for documentaries and films (Anderson, 2023).
The venue of choice for the exhibition is the DCAin Dundee due to its proximity to Dundee University, the galleryâs prominence, its easy accessibility and the presence of a major Scottish medieval reenactment group in the area.
This exhibition is relevant because it brings an influential yet relatively unknown area of historical design and culture into the modernday and presents it in a clear and integrated way. Other exhibitions contain individual aspects but none of them integrate such a wide range of historical and contemporary elements of medieval chests together.This exhibition also moves historical artefacts, theircontexts and education out of museums and intoa creative space.
This exhibition dissertation willset out to createan exhibition toshowcase medieval chests because they were an extremely prominent feature of the material cultureof medieval Europe and is an area which has received little attention relative to its importance.The exhibition will also show how important chests wereto medieval society as a status symbol, a utilitarian item, reflection of different social classes and as a medium for art and narrative telling (Mason, 2022).Itwill also show the significance, wealth and power of religion and the church in medieval times.Aconsiderable number of medieval chests survive in churches (Sycamore, 2020).Themedieval chest also highlights the contrasts between modern and medieval life in particular when it comes to material possessions.
Medieval society was amaterially poor one where the vast majority of individuals had few possessions beyond clothing, accessories and functional objects for workand subsistence (Briggs, 2013). Chests provided a secure and portable means of storage for those who had freedom to traveland could afford to do so, for example merchants andfreemen. By raising awareness of the existence and abundance of portable chests in the medieval era this exhibition will help alleviatethe common misconception that medieval people rarely travelled beyond the communities they lived in.The prominence of portable storagedevices such as chests showedthat people did travel enough to justify owning such items.The mainreasons that medieval people travelled included war, trade and pilgrimages (Schmitz-Esser, R 2015:1680-1691). This exhibition also aims to highlight the skill, versatility and techniques of the craftspeople of the time, in particular woodwork and metalwork.
The symbolism of medieval chests as depicted in medieval manuscripts indicates their importance in society but also shows the skill and artwork of the artists of the timein their depictions. Medieval manuscripts and one example of an early renaissance painting willbe included to showthe different ways chests weredepicted in different contexts and genres of art.
The beginnings of the modern symbolic associations and meanings ascribed to chests can be seen in early artworks consisting of chests containing valuable items and being objects of interest and status. For example, a scenefound in the medieval manuscript BL Add MS 20787 depicting the medieval Spanish KingAlfonso X pointing at a collection of chests in front of an audience.
The exhibition aims toshowcase the chests themselves but alsotheir influence on art and design which willbe done by looking at howtheyhave influenced the design of modern furniture such as safes, suitcases and chests of drawers. It willalso shine a light on howa seemingly niche aspect of the MiddleAges has evolved and branched into many diverse areas of the contemporary worldsuch as cinema and gaming.Thereweremany films that could have been included such as the Indiana Jones filmfranchise, Tomb Raider and Treasure Island. However, the one chosen to be included in the exhibitionis the Disney film series Pirates of the Caribbean because itâs a highly popular franchisethat uses the chest as a major plot device multiple times. It is such aprominent featurethat it appears inthe title of the secondfilm of the series Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Manâs Chest
Another modernmediaform wherechests appear most often is the gaming industry where they are used inmultipleways ranging from simple storage devicesto player rewards and even microtransactions. Examples of games that use chests as features are Minecraft, Valheim, Skyrim, Sea of Thieves, Clash of Clans and the Dragon Quest series. The two included in this exhibition that the visitors can interact with are Minecraft and Sea of Thieves
This will let visitors connect the medieval chests and medieval lifetomodern life andmedia through their own experiences. The overall aim of the exhibition is to highlight the art and symbolism of the medieval chest to show the artistry and design and to show its relevance in modern day life. In my opinion, it is not a common subject that would benefit from having a spotlight shone on it. This exhibition hopes toinitiate interest for an historically and contemporarily unappreciated topic.
The chest bellow is an example of ahutchor clamped front style chest, which is identified by having prominent stiles on the edges that alsoform the legs. There is alack of metalwork which is made up for byadvanced joinery techniques including tongue and groove joints.
This chest is from Vendel Church, Uppland, Sweden and is exhibitedin the Swedish National Museum, Stockholm. It was made around 1400AD and is of acommon undecorated design for the time period. Many chests of this time had little or no decoration and were utilitarian in nature. Chests were a commonfurniture type in medieval Europe and only the wealthiest people and institutions could afford ornatechests. This design of chest, originating in the 13th century was beginning to lose its appeal as a status piece for the wealthy but remained popular withmerchants and local small institutions. (Chests &Trunks, 2017)
This chest, which is located at St Johnâs Hospital in Canterbury, England, belongs to a group of similar chests that areknown as Kentish-Gothic instyle.The design and decoration of thesechests, mostly from cathedrals and churches, are believed to be either locally produced or imported from the continent; mainly from what is nowmodern Germany. It was not uncommon for high quality wood to be imported from Germany, Poland or the Baltic region, making it hard to identify the place of origin based solely on the wood used. These are extremely high-status chests built around 1200. (Pickvance, 2017)
The Courtrai Chest is anunusual but very important surviving medieval chest. It commemorates a battle between the Flemish and French which took place in 1302AD and resulted inan unlikely Flemish victory. It is a unique chest because of its highly detailed carved depiction of the Battle of the Golden Spurs. It is a rare surviving artwork detailing a contemporary battle unlike most depictions of medieval battles which were created decades or centuries afterwards and usually wereillustrated in the technology and style of the artists timeperiod. Moreover, it is alsounusual because it serves as a propaganda piece and potent culturalsymbol for the Flemish and depicts events that challenge the feudal customs of the time. (Mason, 2022)
The reason why I have chosen thesethree chests to exhibit are because they cover a variety of decoration and purpose.The simple undecorated chest shows the practical and everyday use of chests morethan the ornate examples. The other two chests are high status pieces that reflect powerful institutions and interests. Chests from these backgrounds survive morefrequently despitebeing less common because they aretreasured objects.The Kentish-Gothic chests highlight the complex and influential trade that was present in Medieval Europe (Pickvance, 2017).The meticulously decorated Courtrai Chest showcases the important role of chests as a medium for depicting symbolic events of the time. It also had a huge impact on Belgian history andmedieval revivalism.
The next stage of the exhibition is about the symbolism of medieval chests in artwork from the medieval and renaissance eras. The examples consist of medieval manuscripts and paintings.
This illustration of ayellow travelling chest is from the manuscript Speculum Humanae Salvationis (1360) which is an allegorical story thatwas extremely popular across Europe.The chest depicted resembles asix-plank box with metal straps, handles and a lock as wellas carrying poles and is resting on a pair of ornate pedestals.This would be for very wealthy peoplefor the timesince it is brightly coloured and covered in ornatemetalwork showing the owner has money to spend on decoration. It alsois designed to be portable indicating someone who is not bound tothe land they live on meaning they arenot a serf and it needs servants to carry it due to its size and design (Darmstadt, HS 2505, fols. 40-20v.).
Darmstadt, HS 2505, fols. 40-20v
In the illuminated manuscript BL Royal 20 C VII Chroniques de France ou de St Denis (1380-1400) there is ascene vividly depicting rioters looting a merchantâs house, yet carefully carrying a chest out the front door. Symbolising the value contained in the chest and its usefulness as aportable container. This contrasts with the chaos and vandalism depicted with the other objects and possessions. The chest shown in the image resembles a hutch chestwith metal hinges indicating the victim ofthe ransacking is wealthy. The value ofthe surrounding objects being smashed or discarded by the soldiers emphasises just howvaluable the chest and its contents wereconsidered. (BLRoyal 20 C VII,fols. 41v)
Shown here and included in the exhibition is the painting The Betrothal of the Arnolfini (1434) by JanVan Eyck.The chest included in the painting is visible but mostly obscured by the groom showing the chests importance ineveryday life despite it not being worthy of the centre stage. In the 15th Century hutchchests began losing their prominence as a symbol of power and wealth due to the invention of the chest of drawers. They werestill common and valuable but were ultimately replaced as asymbol of high status by the middle of the 16th century. This painting depicts a high-status medieval wedding. It was common for depictions of high-status people to include the objects they owntodisplay their wealth, occupations and connections. The chest being included indicates that it was still considered an important item.
The third stage of the exhibition is dedicated tothe modern legacy of medieval chests in the forms of furniture design and entertainment.
In the Pirates of the Caribbean film series (2003, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2017) there is a strongthemeof pirates seeking various treasures, much of which focusing on treasure chests. The first three films featurechests prominently as one of the prime motivations behind the plots. Inthe first film, Pirates of the Caribbean Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), there is alarge stone chest which resembles a sarcophagus. In the second and thirdfilms the plot revolves around a power struggleover the personal chest of the primary villain. The last two films of the series featurechests, but they are not integral to the story and only appear briefly.
Another prominent media form that uses chests is the games industry. Games such as: Minecraft, Sea of Thieves, Baldurs Gate 3 and Valheim all use chests as features, mechanics and plot points.They are most commonly used as storage devices or exploration objectives.Another prominent use of chests in the games industry is loot boxes which are a reward system that use random generation and often is associated withgambling. They normally use aesthetics of treasure chests.The two games chosenfor the exhibition are Minecraft and Sea of Thieves since they cover awide range of uses and contexts for chests in video games. Chests are an extremely useful and versatile featurein Minecraft that have become an iconic and essential element of the game. Minecraft focuses on the practical and diverse uses of chests as both utilitarianstorage, aesthetic objects and treasure chests. On the other hand, Sea of Thieves focuses on the treasure hunting and fantasy elements of chests. Buried treasurechests are astaple ofmodern entertainmentform a significant part of the legacy of medievalchests. Popular gamesoften rely onthis trope.These games complement each other by contrasting their interpretations of chests in uses and setting.
Other areas of modern culture that use chests or their aesthetics include rustic styled décor and furniture. Revivalism, beginning with the Neoclassical movement set the stage for a wave of 18thand 19th Century stylistic revival movements which influenced architecture, furniture design and artwork.
A security safe available from: Damitechsolu ons.com
Arelatively unchanged category of chest is the modern security safe. Safes evolved directly from chests and strongboxes from medieval times and earlier. Other names for safes include strongbox and coffer among manymore (PowerThesaurus, 2024). They still performa traditional role of safekeeping valuable items and as aresult are commonplace in peopleâs homes and businesses. Safes are instantly recognisable bymost people in bothfunction and appearance as wellas a symbolof wealth. Safes retainthe same symbolism that medieval strongboxes held in their era in the context of wealth, security and authority.
Another modern evolution of chests is the chest of drawers. Chests of drawers are one of the most widespread pieces of furnitureand areseen in most homes and come in many varieties. They fill the sameniche that chests used to by providing secure and accessible storage for all manner of items.The word âchestâcarries on as part of the name of this type of furniture which is fitting since this is what replaced chests in everyday use. The wordchest is still prevalent ineveryday parlance partially because of its use as part of the name of a major contemporaryfurniture type. Chests of drawers come in a wide range of styles, sizes, decorations and construction materials much like medieval chests.
Suitcases are another example of the development of the medieval chest seen inthe modern day.They were developed when travel became more accessible and large bulky wooden travel chests proved too heavy and expensiveformost people. As aresult, lightweight, compact suitcases were created using cheaper materials. Early suitcases resembled chests inboth appearance and materials however they have undergone many changes in the last half century.
In relation tothe choiceof venue, various aspects wereconsidered such as the size of the venue, disability access and its prominence to encouragethe audience tovisit.
The scale used is: 1 for very poor, 2 for poor, 3for reasonable, 4for good and 5for excellent.
The table showsthe factors that wereconsidered and whichformed the main decisions about venue choice.The DCAwas the final choice because it fitted the criteria. Some galleries are too large forthis exhibition and would create a significant amount of unused space. TheDCAis geared towards small and medium sized exhibitions and has avery flexible space and lighting opportunities which is ideal for this exhibition. It also has excellent disability accessibility due tothe gallery space being located at ground level. It is in a central location in Dundee giving it access toa major transport hub.
The primary intended audience for the exhibitionwould be professionals in the creative and entertainment industries as wellas students of art and design. People in the creative and entertainment industries are known to take inspiration from a wide variety of sources to improve the quality, fine tune style and develop themes in their work. By providing a detailed, comprehensive resourceabout medieval chests geared towards artistic fields and practitioners this exhibition will hopefully improve the visual quality, immersion and accuracy of depictions of medieval chests in artistic and entertainment media.An indirect benefit of targeting the entertainment industry is the potential toreach afar larger audience through influencing their work. By making individuals who work inthe entertainment industry aware of the styles, history andsymbolism of medieval chests thereis a higher chance that this knowledge willmake a difference in their work.
The exhibition is curatedspecifically towards artists and professionals in the entertainment industries but will also benefit people interested in history, crafts and historical reenactments. The secondary audience arepeople with interests in medieval history and historical reenactors representing medieval history. The exhibition will also cater to craftspeople, history enthusiasts.
Once the venue and exhibits have been chosen the most important aspect is how the exhibition is curated. Curation decisions such as spacing, layout, flow of movement, lighting, acoustics and disability access shall be considered.
Spacing, layout and flow of movement
The exhibition will be held in GalleryOne which willbe divided into three different sections as well as an entrance lobby using partition walls. Each section will be focused on one of the three primary aspects of the exhibition. The first partition willbe rectangular in shape and will extend to the back wall of the gallery room. It shall use roughly 40 percent of the floor space in the gallery room andwill contain the three original medieval chests placed centrally and equidistant to allow visitors to viewthem from all directions. They willbe prominently displayed in front of theentrance todrawvisitorsâattention and lead themon the beginning of a journey that takes them through the lengthof the first room.The first room will be long and rectangular in shape creating a wide-open space with the portaltothe second room at the far end of the room on the right-hand side. The second room will be a long narrow corridor withthe painting The Betrothal of the Arnolfini (1434) on the far wallto recreatethe effect from room one of enticing visitors tomove into the space. On either side of the corridor, the manuscripts willbe displayed in protective glass cases with large images showing details mounted on the walls.As the visitor moves through the corridor they will turn right again and enter a large room which contains the stage three of the exhibition. In this room there will be apartitioned area with seating inside and ascreen playing movie clips that willbe obscured bycurtains from the rest of the third room.Onthe opposite wall of the thirdroom, to the left of the entrance, there will be a selection of modern furniturewhich has been inspired by medieval chests. On the wall facing the entrancetothe room there willbe a poster montage of various video games which prominently feature chests and there willbe two computers set up with demos of games that the visitor can explore. The exit tothe exhibition will be through a door to the right of the games area.This will allow for visitors to travel in a circular fashion through the exhibition.
Lighting is a critically important element of this exhibition for setting the mood and atmosphere.The general lighting in each room will be slightly dimtoprevent attention being drawn toempty spaces such as ceilings and corners. It willalso help make the subsequent rooms appear moreinviting when the viewer sees illuminated artefacts through the otherwise dimentrances. Inroom one there willbe spotlights aimed at each chest from several angles each to ensure that no shadows obstruct the view of the chests.The colour of light willbe a soft warmglow that provides a warm atmosphere. When moving intoroom two the viewers gaze shouldbe drawnto The Betrothal of the Arnolfini (1434) which will have a mixtureof spotlights shining from the ceiling towards the painting and a hidden strip light mounted directly above it ensure it is fully illuminated. The display cases on either side will be lit by obscured strip lights sothe objects inside arethe focus. By not using spotlights over the display cases, it eliminates much of the glarethat would impede vision. In the thirdroom the general lighting will be slightly brighter to create a more modern atmosphere. The modern furnituredisplay will have focused spotlights similar tothe medieval chests.The cinema will have dim lighting tomakethe screeneasier tosee.The computer area willhave no spotlights and only have ambient light to prevent glare. The video game posters will be individually highlighted by spotlights from the ceiling.
The exhibition will not have any loud audio playing toprevent overloading visitors withtoo much stimulation. The movie will be partitioned from the rest of the third room and there will be built in headphones for visitors to listen tothe movie sothat the sound does not contaminate the rest ofthe space. Headphoneswill also be used for the two video game computers.
It is a legal requirement that public spaces in the UK are accessible for people with motor difficulties, sensory impairments as well as cognitive and learning disabilities (GOV.UK, 2018). Since the aimof the exhibition is to bring a niche topic of interest toas many people as possible withinthe creative industries, it is necessary to ensuredisabled people can enjoy the exhibition to its fullest extent.
People with physical disabilities have been taken into consideration through the choice of venue (Dundee ContemporaryArt). The exhibition space at the DCAis at ground level and is free of steps or other obstructions to wheelchair use and other forms of mobility aid such as
crutches. Inaddition tothis there is alift providing access toa carpark situated behind the gallery, further improving accessibility for disabled people travelling large distances.
People with visual impairments willbe catered towith audio guides and braille provided on sections next to the information boards. The audio guides willbe accessible from Bluetooth enabled devices in addition toportable audio devices with headphones handed out by the gallery. By providing multiple options for accessing audio this ensures that people who rely on sound are abletoexperience the exhibition without hindrance. Providing audio through online methods reduces the risk that disabled audience members will be disadvantaged if the gallery runs out of audio devices if a larger number of visually impaired people visit at one time. Providing physical audio devices with headphones willallow audience members who are inexperienced with or do not have access to the internet to be accommodated. Handrails lining walls and screening exhibits willalso be implemented toguide visually impaired visitors and to reduce the chance of accidents.
People with hearing impairment will also have access to headphones aswell as Bluetooth connectivity for hearing aids and other audio devices. They willalso be catered too with extensive written information on signs located in front of and next to exhibits along with QR codes leading toonline resources for further reading.
These QRcodes shall be interspersed throughout the exhibition near points of interest where they can have arange of benefits. These include reducing congestion in areas that are likely toattract attention as well as providing access to additional content for members of the audience comingfrom a specialist background or who are seeking more depth. This allows for a less cluttered and clearer display of information making it easier for key information to be conveyed. From my own experience in museums and galleries sometimes thereis toomuch information for metoview in areasonable amount of time. Other times thereis not enough for agiven exhibit and I lose satisfaction with the exhibition. Sometimes, albeit rarely there is a middle ground where sufficient detail for me but not so muchthat I lose focus. This is a subjective issue which relates tothe extent of theviewers understanding onthe given subject. Providing methods of accessing extravisual, audio, or written content for the audience via digital mediacan greatly improve theexperience for those seeking extra depth, while avoiding the prospect of overwhelming others withtoo much information.
Neurodivergent people will be considered by ensuring a low noiseenvironment with no conflict of audioas well as soft warmlighting anda simple easy to follow layout.These provisions areintended to create a non-threatening and calm environment that makes it easy to focus and is conducive to a pleasant experience. This is becauseneurodivergent people are an extremely diverse group and includes people with hypersensitivity to a wide range of stimulations such as sounds.This groupalso includes people with complex needs that can be challenging for dealing with newenvironments or processing new information and requirea suitable environment to avoid disadvantaging them.
Other considerations are the safe transport and care of objects, especially the medieval chests and manuscripts.The chests shallbe situated on top of large wooden platforms that can be usedas forklift palettes to ensure ease ofmovement and fire evacuation if required. Whilst inthe exhibition, precautions will be put inplace to prevent visitors from touching the exhibits. This will include barriers, display cases and invigilating staff.
To ensure the exhibits do not deterioratefrom environmental and atmospheric conditions during theexhibitionthere will be measures in place to protect from UV light and changing atmospheric conditions such as temperatureand humidity. Insurance will also be required as will legal permissions touse Copyrightedmaterial for the film and games used.
There is no point in having an exhibition if no one knows about it.As a result, therewill be advertisements in the local press and posters which will be displayed on noticeboards in town as well as thefront of the gallery. Promotional information about the exhibition will also be sent tothe nearby university, art college, medieval society and schools.
The inspiration for creating this exhibition primarily comes from my interest inmedieval history, my involvement in amedieval reenactment group and, inmy opinion, the lack of appreciation of medieval chests in modern life despite the significant influence they have left behind.
I grew up in a house with a lot of antique furnitureincluding 18th and 19th Century chests. After I joined amedieval reenactment society I started towonder if chestswere used back then and how they wouldhave looked.After someresearch I discovered that they were abundant and came in avariety of forms and styles and I becameinterested in exploringthe topic further. Tomy disappointment I found very little information easily accessible and I had to put a lot of effort into expanding my research.This included visiting international museums that display original chests and historical artworkdepicting them. Seeing original examples catalysed my enthusiasm and as a result I began looking at their development and legacy in the modernera. I discovered that there is a noticeable link between them and contemporary furniture as well as a significant cultural legacy that is particularly prominent inmovies and video games.
This exhibition is a way I can combine my enthusiasm for medieval chests and contemporary art by bringing them out of museums and into an art space.
I developed my ideas for what to include and howtocurate this exhibition after visiting a number of galleries and museums over several study and research trips.They are as follows:
I visited the Bode Museum located in Berlinâs Museum Island, which displays a large number of 16th Century chests, however they were poorly exhibited due to lack of information and their being situated near eye catching paintings and sculptures.As aresult, the chests received very little attention and appeared to be used as nothing morethan decorations rather than as exhibits in themselves.Thereappeared to be littlerhythm in the layout other than the chests being situated with other 16th Century and post medieval artworks.There was very little information on their origins other than the century and country of origin and no other contexts.
https://www.smb.museum/en/museums-institutions/bode-museum/home/
In the Swedish National Museum based in Stockholm I saw a large collection of medieval chests ranging from the late 12th Century to the early 16th Century as wellas a wide range of other medieval artefacts.The way the museum curated its contents was extremely effective at grabbing and holding my attention without overwhelming me.They managed to do this by placing a series of rooms with artefacts in achronological order whichmade it easy to follow. Each room covered a different century of Swedish history, showcasing bothhigh and low status items.This set the tone and context of the rest of the museum before it opened into many other rooms allowing visitors toexploreat their own volition.
https://www.nationalmuseum.se/en/
I alsovisited the Vasa Museum, also located in Stockholm where there were anumber of sailors trunks and carpenters tool chests on display.All these artefacts were discovered in the shipwreck, giving a snapshot of early 17th Century chests and showcasing a transitional stage in the development of chests.The museum was well laid out with the ship taking centre stage and artefacts being organised into smaller themed exhibits located around the museum.These themesranged from personal artefacts belonging to the crew, shipbuilding and the ships carpentersâinventory as well as military artefacts. It was very easy tonavigate and choose sections to visit and each section had a huge amount of context, artefacts and conservation information.
https://www.vasamuseet.se/en
I visited a range of art galleries and museums toobservecuration techniques and develop my ownideas. Of particular interest was the V&A in Dundee which had an exhibition on the history of Tartan. I foundthe items and context very interesting however the layout was confusing, full of conflicting audio and I struggled to direct my attention ina way that made the exhibition easier to understand.
https://www.vam.ac.uk/dundee/whatson/exhibitions/tartan
As part of my general interest in medieval history as wellas a newly foundinterest in the furniture from the relevant period, I have explored and researchedmany examples of types of chests, the construction methods, distribution and their place in medieval society.
One of the sources of inspiration and information for this work is the research of Rachel Sycamore, a postgraduate student at the University of Worcester who is studying aMaster of Research in MedievalArchaeology. She has compiled a large catalogue of extant medieval chests located in churches in the English counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire. Her study documented over 200 surviving chests of differing styles, decoration andmethod of construction (Sycamore, 2021). This is of great benefit to me because it provides mewith a diverse array of examples showing varied types of medieval chests indicating themultitude of factors that medieval people considered when building chests. These include costs, security and aesthetics. This is a large enough case study to show widespread use in a geographic area as well as enabling researchers to determine cultural preferences for style, construction method and intended use.Any unusual examples that would normally skew the results aremorelikely to be noticed and taken into account.
The blog called St Thomas Guild has proven very useful for me through its posts detailing extant medieval chests as well as depictions in historical artwork. Its creator(s) have visited a wide range of sites containing medieval chests around Germany and Sweden as wellas other locations and have documented them in detail, often including photographs, measurements and references to academic sources for further information.
Academic articles and research papers on the topic of medieval chests created by Christopher Pickvance have been inspirational as well as informative. I have referenced some of his work in thispiece because of his attention todetail and extensive research of chest styles, construction methods and origins.
In addition,my current involvement in a medieval reenactment society focused on the late 13th Century and early 14th Century inScotland has let meaccess a large range of sources of information regarding medieval material culture and society. It has alsoprovided me with the experience of requiring historically accurate storage devices to store and organisemy authentic reproduction items, as well as tohide any anachronistic belongings such as modern clothing from public view. This is because medieval reenactors aim to portray life and events in the past as accurately as possible,meaning that any objects that werenot
available or in use at thetime period being portrayed cannot be seen. Frommy own experience spending several days camping and living in medieval reenactment events I have noticed how there is a large range of everyday objects that I and other reenactors had taken for granted, including storage devices and furnituresuch as chests and how big of an impact these objects can have on quality of life. One very notable example is not having access to anyform of seating or storage leading to items being moved around frequently and being lost or mixedup.
My interest inmedieval chests goes back further than my involvement in amedieval reenactment society and has stemmed from life experiences. These include my childhood love of pirates and theirburied treasure, growingup in a house with a number of antique chests and later playing video games that featurechests.
I also watched and enjoyed films such as Braveheart (1995) (not very accurateso I want to improve on itsmistakes), Outlaw King (2018), the Pirates of the Caribbean Franchise (2003ongoing) and the Indiana Jones franchise (1981-ongoing). These films inspired my imagination and catalysed my enthusiasm as a child and teenager withtheir aesthetics and the excitement of exploring the past. When I found out that there is a lot of historical inaccuracies in somefilms, notably Braveheart (1995) I started questioning every detail that was shown. This has led me to takea greater interest in historically accurate objects in popular media.
This exhibition was curated with the aim to highlight the underappreciated legacy ofthe medieval chest in modern culture, design and entertainment.This was done by displaying original medieval chests alongside their historical, artistic and modern legacy.There are many exhibitions that have displayed and included medieval chests, but I cannot think of any that have included the modern iterations, cultural legacy and modernentertainment. This exhibition shows a chronological connection between medieval society and 21st-century society. There were many examples for all categories and it was very difficult tonarrow the selection downto what was included.
On reflection, I made the decision to only include one type ofmedieval chest instead of a broad range of designs to keep the focus on theirartistic, cultural and symbolic legacy. Although there arefour main construction methods for medieval chests and a plethora of styles and decoration techniques, thetype of chest chosenfor the first section of the exhibition covers all thepoints that needed to bemade. It showed aspectrum of design and decoration choices, ranging from undecorated tothe most finely carved examples. The aim of exhibition was not just to show medieval chests but alsoto link it tothe modernday. In a larger exhibition I would include a variety of different chest types. IfI had more space in a future exhibition, I wouldexpand the collection of chests to include examples of different construction methods such as dug out chests, six boardchests, frameand panelled chests. There would also bemore manuscripts and paintings showing the symbolism and cultural significance of chests in the medieval and post medieval ages, as well as including further paintings from different eras. I would also expandthe range of modern representations and developments that comefrom medieval chests and include intermediary steps in that evolution, as well as the tools used and construction methods.
The flow of people was considered sothat they could move throughout the exhibition chronologically and carewas taken that any noise from the modern section was contained and did not leak into the other sections of the exhibition. Exhibition atmosphere was considered with the medieval section being darker and calm. The modernsection being brighter and more energetic.
As it stands this exhibition is seen as an introduction to highlighting the influence of medieval society, cultureand artwork tothe contemporary world. It is asmall exhibition in a small venue and willhopefullybe a catalyst for further exhibitions of this nature.
Fig. 1 Vendel Church Chest, Uppland, Sweden
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Fig. 2 St Johnâs Hospital Chest, Canterbury, England Page 8
Fig. 3 Courtrai Chest, New College, Oxford University,Oxford, England. Page 9
Fig. 4 Illustration from manuscript âSpeculum Humanae Salvationisâ(1360)
Darmstadt, HS 2505, fols. 40-20v.
Fig. 5 Illustration from manuscript BL Royal 20 C VII Chroniques de France ou de St Denis (1380-1400)
BLRoyal 20 C VII, fols. 41v.
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Fig. 6 The Betrothal of the Arnolfiniâ (1434) by Jan Van Eyck Page 10
Fig. 7 Still image from Disneyâs Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Manâs Chest. Page 10
Fig. 8 Minecraft Chest Block Minecraft (2009) Page 11
Fig. 9 Asecurity safe available from: Damitechsolutions.com Page 11
Fig. 10 Achest of drawers fromthe Ikea catalogue. Page 11
Fig. 11 Vintage Suitcases from Etsy.com
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