Miniature Flemish linen press circa 1650

Here is a miniature laundry press reproducing these customary objects from the North of France and border countries.
Their use made it possible to iron the linens of the house, the other tool completing this work was the calander board, a sort of cold iron.
Here the model is Flemish, with a potbellied base quite similar to Dutch furniture (scribans, sideboards, etc.).
The uprights of the system carrying the screw pressing the plates and the linen are decorated with ebony pilasters carved with angels in sheaths and naked women, still marked by the inspiration of the decorative vocabulary of the Renaissance.
The large crosspiece holding the screw is decorated with flower marquetry and topped with two hangers with scrolls and acanthus leaves.
The sides are inlaid with flowers, the drawers are inlaid with a mascaron of fauna and flowers.
The press board is also inlaid with flowers and is gripped by the oak shoe applying the pressure force of the screw.
The work of this object is particularly refined, the linen presses belonged to the dowry of the young brides and were manufactured with as much care as the furniture such as the cabinets.

We can think of an honorary gift between cities, (the screw shoe also bears the coat of arms of Amsterdam). or between two large families before a union therefore offered to a young girl.
The laundry presses being objects of high social symbolism, this press being a kind of emblem by its dimensions.
State :
very good condition, normal wear.
Beautiful shine of the waxed patina of the surfaces.

Dimensions:
Height: 46 cm, width: 24 cm, depth: 15 cm.

Ref 3702 / 3, 10 kg / 3800