Arts & Crafts Coal Box

This is an Arts & Crafts coal box - Whether this was its intended purpose is debatable. It has a very crude liner and has been used as a coal box. Such a box/ coffer deserves a lot more respect. This has been purposely made to appear to imitate earlier period coffers. One could say 16th Century/17th Century. Some in the trade call these type "six plank coffers". Obviously there is no candle box inside or swords! Even the back boards are so crude as to resemble the back boards which would have been nailed. The decorative carved panel does actually appear to be hand carved rather than machine carved which was typical of the Victorian industrialised period. The design is unique and associated with arts and crafts designs of this period. As other commercial companies retailed furniture and other items many designs were interpreted and copied.