Chests, Trunks and Presses in Northern Greece

Texts: Konstantinos Kefalas

INSTITUTE FOR BALKAN STUDIES - THESSALONIKI 1979

Monolingual publication: Greek

Off-print of the proceedings of the 3rd Northern Greece Folklore Symposium (Epirus, Macedonia, Thrace)

The chest formed a typical part of the furnishings of a house, both in the city and the countryside, from the Byzantine period to the end of the 19th century. It was an indispensable item in every household, a place to store or carry food, but usually clothes, rugs, dowry items. In this study Mr. Kefalas re-traces the history of the chest, covering its twofold use as storage receptacle and seat, the materials of which it was made, its decoration and its symbolic importance. The book contains photographs of exceptional examples of this item of furniture, some of them adorned with decorative carving, some with inlays, some others painted.