The History of Dowry Chests Captured in Wood: Dendrochronological Research on Chests from the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes, Greece

Abstract

Chests represented important piece of the household and sacral furniture until the end of 18th century. They were commonly used as containers, both for everyday needsand also for special occasions such as in the case of marriage/dowry chests. Nowadays chests can be found in museums, monasteries, palaces, historic buildings, but alsoin private collections, with some of them having great aesthetic, ethnographic and historical interest. In the current study we present the results of wood examinationof five chests exhibited in the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights in Rhodes, Greece. Most of them were made of walnut, while the one made of conifer was useful for further dendrochronological analysis. Macroscopic examination of timber and cross-dating results suggest that the species used for its construction is most probablyCedrus libani, originating from Turkey. 1698 AD is the outermost preserved (most recent) ring, placing the chest’s construction during the Early Modern period of Europe,most likely at the beginning of the 18th century. Regarding the timber origin, the chest is an example confirming that during the early 18th century there was a trade betweenEurope and the East Aegean Islands, which then belonged to the Ottoman Empire.

Thinking Inside the Box

“…Although the main body of a chest is shaped by joining wooden elements, few chests have been the subject of wood anatomical and dendrochronological studies or in-depth construction analysis (Dominguez-Delmas et al 2021;Bridge & Miles 2011;Christopoulou et al 2022;Haneca 2010;Miles & Bridge 2008). Rather, the chests that have received such attention have been a part of religious institutes (churches, abbeys, cathedrals, etc.…”