Iron chest, 17th century

Iron chest
17th century
Iron body studded with iron bands
Carrying handles on the sides
Keyhole covered by a lying dog
8 latches
Curiosity: a painted dog on the inside of the bottom of the casket
"To go to the dog" = "To go to ruin"
Original key
62.5 x 40 x 39 cm

The key cover of this unusual iron chest in the shape of a lying dog already reveals the depiction hidden inside, as a dog is painted on the bottom of the box. Various interpretations can be used in connection with the saying "Auf den Hund gekommen" ("to go to the dog"): for example, the idiom refers to a war chest for paying off mercenaries. At the bottom was a small wooden box called "the dog", which served as an emergency reserve. So if you had to fall back on it, you had to "go to the dog", and the coffers were almost empty. Another explanation sees the dog as a guardian painted on the bottom of the box. If you had spent too much money, you could see the dog on the bottom of the chest, so you had also "gone to the dog". Although there are other explanations, this extravagant 17th-century piece serves as a clear example of this interpretation.