[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by fernando

'Caixas de açucar', is the term. When speaking of furniture of the "caixa de açucar" style, we are referring to examples made with boards saved from the boxes used to transport sugar from Madeira Islands and Brasil, their great sugar competitor. Various kinds of exotic wood were used, but what counted was the box format. Although of variable capacity during periods and origin, they were 'standardized' containers for the transport of a determined quantity of 'pães de açucar' (sugar breads), so called due to the typical clay cones in which the sugar was 'packed'.
This type of furniture started by being of the utility type and later of style, namely pieces of one and two bodies, like the cup cabinets of the Dutch style, a fashion divulged in Portugal in the end of the 1600's, as well as chests.


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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.