Anglo-Italian Cypress Chest with Rampant Lions

This exceptionally small boarded chest, constructed in imported cypress (cedar), is decorated to the front with stylised foliage flanked by finely incised rampant lions. The use of cypress marks this piece as part of the wider Anglo-Italian trade of the early 17th century, when Italian workshops produced light yet fragrant chests for the English market, valued for storing fine clothing and linens.
Unlike larger cassoni or English oak chests, its compact proportions and boarded construction suggest it was conceived as a personal container — closer to a travelling coffer or valuables box — and designed to be both portable and fragrant. Cypress was renowned in this period for its insect-repelling qualities, making it particularly well-suited to storing rich fabrics.