Antique chest painted blue made of pine – Central Europe, circa 1870

This ancient blue-painted pine chest is a peasant chest from Central Europe with cut-out profile cheeks and flared feet. It originates from Central Europe, from the last third of the 19th century, where the solid board was painted in a single flat colour. Prussian blue, the first modern synthetic pigment, became quite affordable in the 19th century, making its way into peasant furniture and replacing floral polychromy in many regions. A chest painted in a single intense blue was the modern and economical version of the decorated chest. The case is made of solid pine, with the front boards joined in a half-lap joint. The lid, made of two pieces, rests on the cheeks, which extend above with cut-out projections. The feet are cut from the stiles themselves and flare slightly. The blue has reduced to an irregular pattern on the wood: dense on the cheeks and lid, almost disappeared on the front, where the pine shows through in large patches of honey tone. In places, a green appears beneath the blue, a trace of a previous layer. This wear distributes the colour like natural flaking, without hard spots or outlines. The surface appears authentic and has not been retouched. Details. Dimensions: Length 142 cm – Depth 49 cm – Height 60 cm. Style: Central European folk art. Materials and techniques: Pine wood; half-lap joint; oil paint of a Prussian blue type over a previous green layer. Place of origin: Central Europe. Period: 19th-century folk art. Date of manufacture: Circa 1870. Condition / Observations: Good. Original blue paint very worn, visible wood on the front and remnants of a previous green layer. Wear consistent with age and use.