Courtrai Chest
{{Short description|Medieval oak chest}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
File:De Kist van Oxford.jpg ]]
The Courtrai Chest is an oak chest that incorporates medieval carvings depicting scenes from the Franco-Flemish War, in particular the Battle of the Golden Spurs at Kortrijk (Courtrai) in Flanders. The chest is among the few surviving contemporaneous depictions of those historically-significant events.
History
The Coutrai Chest is a 17th-century oak construction but incorporates an older front-face measuring 102 cm by 71 cm, dating from the 14th century.Carved Chest at New College, Oxford by Charles Ffoulkes, The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs, July 1912, volume 21, issue 112, pages 240–1 This bears carvings in relief illustrating episodes from the Franco-Flemish War (1297–1305) from the Bruges Matins (13 May 1302) to the Battle of the Golden Spurs (11 July 1302).
The Chest was discovered around 1905 in the village of Stanton St John, Oxfordshire, which was a village largely owned by New College, Oxford. Found by Warden of the College, William Archibald Spooner, on a "Warden's Progress", it was in a barn of a college tenant where it was used as a feed bin for animals.New College, University of Oxford, Treasures and Chattels: http://www.new.ox.ac.uk/courtrai-chestEarly Furniture-I. Coffers by Aymer Vallance, The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs, June 1912, volume 21, issue 111, pages 153–161. Nothing is apparently known of the circumstances in which the Chest arrived in Oxfordshire.
The Chest is kept at New College, Oxford, where it may be viewed by appointment.
Reproduction
A full-sized reconstruction of the original is displayed at the Kortrijk 1302 Museum in Belgium where it is known as the "Oxford Chest" (Kist van Oxford). This reproduction comprises a reconstruction of the whole chest including the stiles or legs supporting it, as would have been present in its original form but are missing from the remains of the original.
Scenes
File:Brugse metten.jpg|{{center|The Bruges Matins}}
File:Kist van oxford 2.jpg|{{center|Arrival of Guy of Namur and William of Jülich at Bruges}}
File:Kist van oxford 3.jpg|{{center|Siege of Wijnendale Castle}}
File:Kist van oxford 4.jpg|{{center|Line-up of the town militias on the battlefield}}
File:Goedendag_on_chest_of_Kortrijk.jpg|{{center|The Flemish line of battle during the Battle of the Golden Spurs}}
File:Kist van oxford 5.jpg|{{center|The attack of a French garrison at Courtrai}}
File:Kist van oxford 6.jpg|{{center|Collection of the booty: the Golden Spurs}}
See also
References
{{Reflist|2}}
Bibliography
{{commons category|Chest of Courtrai}}
- {{cite journal|last=Ffoulkes|first=Charles|title=Carved Chest at New College, Oxford|journal=The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs|date=July 1912|volume=21|issue=112|pages=240–1|jstor=859053}}
- {{cite book |last1=Verbruggen |first1=J. F. |title=The Battle of the Golden Spurs (Courtrai, 11 July 1302). A Contribution to the History of Flanders' War of Liberation, 1297-1305 |date=2002 |publisher=Boydell Press |location=Woodbridge |isbn=0-85115-888-9 |pages=195–210 |edition=English trans.}}