HOLY CHARACTER CHEST in carved oak. It features... Lot 43

HOLY CHARACTER CHEST in carved oak. It features seven front panels, embedded in the frame, carved in deep relief with male figures representing saints placed under niches. Three by three, they frame a central resurrection scene. Christ, standing in a perizonium and cloaked in a mantle, raises his right hand in blessing. With his left, he leans on a stick forming a cross. At his feet, the two guards are dozing. Applique carvings of baluster-turned columns run between each panel. The rectangular panels depict six apostles: Saint Paul, Saint James the Greater and Saint Bartholomew. Saint John, Saint Peter and Saint Matthew. On the sides are two profiles facing each other, a helmeted man and a woman. Original hasp lock, finely chased with a salamander. The base is molded and carved with concentric shapes. Normandy, Louis XII period, Early Renaissance, circa 1510 - 1515. Height : 73 cm - Width : 165 cm Depth : 67 cm The two profiles facing each other on the sides of the chest suggest that it was most likely a wedding gift. They would then be portraits of the respective spouses. The salamander on the lock refers to the Resurrection as the supposed tamer of fire: it symbolizes unchanging faith as well as the ability to remain wise in the midst of turmoil. The symbol thus exhorts young spouses to a virtuous marriage guided by Christian values, despite the temptations of the world. King François I made the salamander his personal emblem.