Matched Pair of Charles II Carved Oak Boxes with Serpent Motifs

A rare matched pair of carved oak boxes, almost certainly the work of the same West Country hand, each boldly decorated with a sinuous serpent carved in deep relief across the front panel. The serpents are depicted with open jaws, prominent eyes, and tightly coiled bodies that extend across the entire width, terminating in spirals and stylised foliate forms. The lower box retains remarkable traces of its original polychrome decoration, with red pigment still visible within the carved ground, adding depth and vigour to the design. Both boxes retain their original iron lock plates, straps, and hinges.
The serpent was a powerful symbol in the 17th century, simultaneously evoking danger, temptation, and protection. In domestic furniture, particularly in the West Country, such zoomorphic carvings carried apotropaic meaning—guarding the contents of the box against theft or evil influences. They also reveal the survival of medieval and early Renaissance visual traditions in rural workshops well into the Restoration period.
Comparable West Country carved work of the later 17th century is preserved in regional museums and parish collections, though pairs of boxes of this scale and coherence are exceptionally scarce. The survival of two such boxes, evidently carved by the same craftsman, provides rare insight into the repetition of designs within a single workshop.