French Leather Hide Trunk

A leather hide on softwood French Trunk.

This trunk has more of a country feel to it with two blacksmith made iron support bars to the base that extend up the sides underneath the leather to meet the lid hinges and the locks to the front. The trunk also has a pair of iron straps to each side that extend most of the height and are turned under the base. These have rectangular ring fittings to the top, close to the lid and either had some form of handle between them or were used to fix the trunk during travel. The top has overhanging leather to make it watertight and is shaped with flaps to cover the two iron hasp locks. There is evidence that these flaps originally had belt straps to fix them. The top also has a single row of brass, domed studs. Running repairs have been made to each side of the lid with a matching leather patch fixed with studs. Originally the trunk had an engraving plate to the top but it was removed at some stage of its life. The trunk's interior is not lined to the wood.

This is a well-made trunk with the two iron bands wrapping around the trunk giving it a strength to support its load. The dark colour of the leather is lifted by the row of brass studs. Mid to late 19th Century.