An English oak clamped-front ark 17th century

the canted boarded detachable cover above a twin panelled front and later filled lockplate, with channelled stiles

Please note the colour of this piece is very rich in colour and much better than it appears in the catalogue illustration. Good considering age and use with consistent colour and good patina. As expected, wear to be found throughout with old partial fragmenting, chipping, indents and traces of worm. Indications of former hasp on front of hinged cover and a fragmented loss on the top of the front board in this cover above the hasp site. Some repair on the front of this lot to the side of the hasp catch and probably as a result of a former lock attachment. Separation and old partial fillet on the lower front apron rail at the join of the right stile and this apron rail with a lot of fragmenting and some old filler on the lower rim. The left front stile with old partial splits. The sides with old splits. A lot of old fragmenting on the rear with applied hessian partial covering and patching. The right rear stile now with applied strengthening baton on the rear. The interior with attractive intense wear with old fragmenting and various old metal patched repairs. The floor with typical separation. This ark is a superb example that has clearly been a `working' piece and displays the qualities acquired through generations of use.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

For other examples see Oak and Country Furniture, Sotheby's Olympia, 1st July 2003, lot 125, also see The Peter Gwynn Collection, these rooms, 27th November 2001, lot 9. A similar example to the offered lot is in the collection of The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, see Clifford Smith, Catalogue of Furniture and Woodwork, 1929, Vol. I - Gothic and Early Tudor.

The ark is a development of the clamped-front chest of the Middle Ages and would have been used in the kitchen to store grains, flower, meal and bread. The lids were not usually attached, rather separate, so they could be inverted to serve as kneading troughs or even as hand barrows with the insertion of carrying poles.

Ralph Edwards, The Dictionary of English Furniture, Woodbridge, second edition, 1954, Vol. I, p. 22. Cites two early sources which use the term ark. An inventory from 1557, ''11 great arkes standinge in the nurserie'' and another from the same year, Jane Lawson of Newsham from County Durham records in her inventory ''The chamber over the Hall... A chest or Arke 4s 6d''.

Also see lot 318.