The chest can be called a kind of container of family life. Almost every Russian household had one, and if there were several of them, then the family was considered prosperous. At all times, people had to store things and valuables, and this need was especially relevant when a person set off on a journey.
Now cabinets, safes and suitcases perform this storage function, but they appeared only one and a half to two centuries ago. Prior to that, for many years, the chest was used instead of all those household items. Its history began centuries ago. It is known for sure that the ancient Egyptians used chests and passed this tradition on to Ancient Greece and Rome. In the early Middle Ages, chests spread to half the world: throughout Europe and Asia, reaching Rus. Chests were brought along by nomadic tribes and conquering armies.
Making a chest was a complex process that required the input of different artisans: a carpenter, a blacksmith, a painter, and a locksmith. In each governorate of the Russian Empire, such products had their own unique features. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the chest was the main item of peasant furniture.
Two types of chests were common in the Russian North. One of them had a flat hinged lid, the other — a convex one. They also differed in size. Artisans even created small chests that were close to boxes. Such specimens were intended for storing valuable jewelry, household items and money. The chest-headrest, the so-called “teremok” and the dowry chest were also included into the category of the small ones.
This item from the collection of the Uray City Historical Museum used to belong to Ivan Kuzmich Zolnikov (1887–1981), chairman of the collective farm named after the Decembrists, who came to Uray in 1931 from the city of Tobolsk. The chest is dated to 1935.
This exhibit is wooden inside, covered with metal, clad in sheet iron, which the artisan secured with wide strips and nails. The chest has a hinged lid with a thin curved handle. A staple extends from the lid, which is put on the loop. Under the staple in the lower part, there is a keyhole. The chest was used to store things.
Now cabinets, safes and suitcases perform this storage function, but they appeared only one and a half to two centuries ago. Prior to that, for many years, the chest was used instead of all those household items. Its history began centuries ago. It is known for sure that the ancient Egyptians used chests and passed this tradition on to Ancient Greece and Rome. In the early Middle Ages, chests spread to half the world: throughout Europe and Asia, reaching Rus. Chests were brought along by nomadic tribes and conquering armies.
Making a chest was a complex process that required the input of different artisans: a carpenter, a blacksmith, a painter, and a locksmith. In each governorate of the Russian Empire, such products had their own unique features. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the chest was the main item of peasant furniture.
Two types of chests were common in the Russian North. One of them had a flat hinged lid, the other — a convex one. They also differed in size. Artisans even created small chests that were close to boxes. Such specimens were intended for storing valuable jewelry, household items and money. The chest-headrest, the so-called “teremok” and the dowry chest were also included into the category of the small ones.
This item from the collection of the Uray City Historical Museum used to belong to Ivan Kuzmich Zolnikov (1887–1981), chairman of the collective farm named after the Decembrists, who came to Uray in 1931 from the city of Tobolsk. The chest is dated to 1935.
This exhibit is wooden inside, covered with metal, clad in sheet iron, which the artisan secured with wide strips and nails. The chest has a hinged lid with a thin curved handle. A staple extends from the lid, which is put on the loop. Under the staple in the lower part, there is a keyhole. The chest was used to store things.
