This chest was closed with a mortise lock, which is called a jingle lock. Due to it, when lifting the lid or turning the key in the lock, the whole hut resounded with the jingling sound. There is a version that this sound notified the hostess when the man climbed into the chest for money for a drink. The lock is currently in a non-working state. If you open the chest, you can see that the inner side of the lid is covered with kerenki, i.e. monetary signs of the Kerensky Board, with a face value of 250 rubles. Most likely, these kerenki were left after the monetary reform when they were devalued and no one needed them. Power changed, and money changed too. But it was a pity to throw away kerenki, and they found a new use.
In Russia, the chest remained the most important furniture until the 19th century. This piece of furniture was not in every home. It was quite expensive. The more chests in the house, the more prosperous the family. So it was thought before. There were a great variety of chests. They varied in color, size, and wood type. Anything could be stored inside, such as valuables, clothing, household items, or food. But the chest served not only as a place to store things. It could replace a table with a chair and a bed.
As a rule, chests were made of wood and decorated with decorative metal details. Expensive chests were protected from theft by built-in locks or hidden mechanisms, while cheap ones had padlocks. In the 16th - 17th centuries, the most famous centers for the production of chests were Veliky Ustyug and Kholmogory. They were major trading cities of Russia on the Northern Dvina. Nizhny Tagil was also famous for its chests. Chests were especially richly decorated here. On the walls and lid of the Nizhny Tagil chests, up to eight pictures with stories were drawn. The masters copied them from engravings and lithographs.
To make jingle locks, a special skill was required, so this task was assigned to the most famous master locksmiths. Many craftsmen of various specialties worked on the production of the chest. Some made wooden boxes, others made metal locks. Also there were those who made handles and hinges, while others prepared iron and tin. Printers and coiners decorated the sheets with patterns. Over time, the production of chests came to naught, but for many years these pieces of furniture were stored in village and city houses.
In Russia, the chest remained the most important furniture until the 19th century. This piece of furniture was not in every home. It was quite expensive. The more chests in the house, the more prosperous the family. So it was thought before. There were a great variety of chests. They varied in color, size, and wood type. Anything could be stored inside, such as valuables, clothing, household items, or food. But the chest served not only as a place to store things. It could replace a table with a chair and a bed.
As a rule, chests were made of wood and decorated with decorative metal details. Expensive chests were protected from theft by built-in locks or hidden mechanisms, while cheap ones had padlocks. In the 16th - 17th centuries, the most famous centers for the production of chests were Veliky Ustyug and Kholmogory. They were major trading cities of Russia on the Northern Dvina. Nizhny Tagil was also famous for its chests. Chests were especially richly decorated here. On the walls and lid of the Nizhny Tagil chests, up to eight pictures with stories were drawn. The masters copied them from engravings and lithographs.
To make jingle locks, a special skill was required, so this task was assigned to the most famous master locksmiths. Many craftsmen of various specialties worked on the production of the chest. Some made wooden boxes, others made metal locks. Also there were those who made handles and hinges, while others prepared iron and tin. Printers and coiners decorated the sheets with patterns. Over time, the production of chests came to naught, but for many years these pieces of furniture were stored in village and city houses.
