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Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi
Whilst that may in fact be the case on wooden cases from the Atlantic side it was not the case from this end. The big storage chests are as the item at my post #8 second last picture and would have been in place in the Factories ...coastal installations...Forts... built by the Portuguese at the time from about 1490 to 1650. Of the planked style I have seen no evidence here.. What is apparent is the type of clasp and escutcheon on these great chests...In Iron and invariably of the type illustrated.
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One thing ought to be relative to the other; if furniture was in reality transformed from sugar boxes, then its origin was the planks ... whether carpenters and joiners worked them up to whatever patterns they wanted. If not, then the name is wrongly attributed.
I guess the idea was to use such exotic woods acquired for low prices.
http://mqc.gov-madeira.pt/pt-PT/Cole...il.aspx?id=155
http://www.madeira-edu.pt/portals/31...ugar-caixa.pdf
Quoting a part of the links above:
Encontram-se igualmente referências ao Mobiliário «caixa-de-açúcar», nos Açores que, de acordo com Francisco Ernesto de Oliveira Martins, se situa no período entre 1642-1700, e também em Lisboa onde em 1686, os marceneiros da Rua das Arcas solicitam autorização para construírem em madeiras de fora, nomeadamente as das caixas em que vem os assucares do Brasil.
Meaning: References to "caixa-de-açucar" furniture are found in the Azores ... 1642-1700 ... and also in Lisbon, where in 1686 local joiners required permission to build with woods from the outside, namely those of the boxes that come with the sugars from Brazil.
Perhaps the sketch of box uploaded in post #10 could be illusory. Some of these boards would have considerable dimensions, specially those of the boxes exported by Brazil, which could carry up to 1000 Kgs. of sugar.