The Courtrai Chest is a

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

chest which incorporates

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

carvings depicting scenes from the

Franco-Flemish War The Franco-Flemish War (french: Guerre de Flandre; nl, Vlaamse opstand) was a conflict between the Kingdom of France and the County of Flanders between 1297 and 1305. Causes Philip IV of France became king in 1285, and was determined to stren ...

and, in particular, the

Battle of the Golden Spurs The Battle of the Golden Spurs ( nl, Guldensporenslag; french: Bataille des éperons d'or) was a military confrontation between the royal army of France and rebellious forces of the County of Flanders on 11 July 1302 during the Franco-Flemis ...

Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; vls, Kortryk or ''Kortrik''; french: Courtrai ; la, Cortoriacum), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Regio ...

(Courtrai) in Flanders. The chest is among the few surviving contemporaneous depictions of those historically-significant events.

History

The Coutrai Chest is a 17th-century oak construction but incorporates an older front-face measuring 102 cm by 71 cm, dating from the 14th century.''Carved Chest at New College, Oxford'' by Charles Ffoulkes,

The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs ''The Burlington Magazine'' is a monthly publication that covers the fine and decorative arts of all periods. Established in 1903, it is the longest running art journal in the English language. It has been published by a charitable organisation sin ...

, July 1912, volume 21, issue 112, pages 240–1 This bears carvings in

relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

illustrating episodes from the

(1297–1305) from the

Bruges Matins The Matins of Bruges ( nl, Brugse Metten) was the nocturnal massacre of the French garrison in Bruges and their supporters, a political faction in favour of French rule, on 18 May 1302 by the members of the local Flemish militia. It has been ...

(13 May 1302) to the

(11 July 1302). The Chest was discovered around 1905 in the village of

Stanton St John Stanton St. John is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about northeast of the centre of Oxford. The village is above sea level on the eastern brow of a group of hills northeast of Oxford, in a slight saddle between two of the hills. Ar ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

which was a village largely owned by

New College, Oxford New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as its feeder school, New College is one of the oldest colleges at th ...

. Found by Warden of the College,

William Archibald Spooner William Archibald Spooner (22 July 1844 – 29 August 1930) was a British clergyman and long-serving Oxford don. He was most notable for his absent-mindedness, and for supposedly mixing up the syllables in a spoken phrase, with unintentionally ...

, on a "Warden's Progress", it was in a barn of a college tenant where it was used as a feed bin for animals.New College, University of Oxford, Treasures and Chattels: http://www.new.ox.ac.uk/courtrai-chest''Early Furniture-I. Coffers'' by Aymer Vallance, The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs, June 1912, volume 21, issue 111, pages 153–161. Nothing is apparently known of the circumstances in which the Chest arrived in Oxfordshire. The Chest is kept at New College, Oxford where it is not currently on public show.

Reproduction

A full-sized reconstruction of the original is displayed at the

Kortrijk 1302 Museum Kortrijk ( , ; vls, Kortryk or ''Kortrik''; french: Courtrai ; la, Cortoriacum), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It is the capital and larges ...

in Belgium where it is known as the "Oxford Chest" (''Kist van Oxford''). This reproduction comprises a reconstruction of the whole chest including the stiles or legs supporting it, as would have been present in its original form, but are missing from the remains of the original.

Scenes

File:Brugse metten.jpg, File:Kist van oxford 2.jpg, File:Kist van oxford 3.jpg, File:Kist van oxford 4.jpg, File:Goedendag_on_chest_of_Kortrijk.jpg, File:Kist van oxford 5.jpg, File:Kist van oxford 6.jpg,

References

Bibliography

* *{{cite book , last1=Verbruggen , first1=J. F. , title=The Battle of the Golden Spurs (Courtrai, 11 July 1302). A Contribution to the History of Flanders' War of Liberation, 1297-1305 , date=2002 , publisher=Boydell Press , location=Woodbridge , isbn=0-85115-888-9 , pages=195-210 , edition=English trans. New College, Oxford Chests (furniture) Collection of the Ashmolean Museum Franco-Flemish War 14th century in the county of Flanders

History

Reproduction

Scenes

See also

References

Bibliography