Louis XIII salt chair, in walnut, 17th century

Rare small Louis XIII chair, with salt box, in walnut.
The baluster-turned uprights and the heart-shaped keyhole add to the charm of this 17th century chair.

Dimensions: L. 48 cm x P. 40 cm x H. 95 cm
(seat height 47 cm)

France
Walnut with beautiful patina
17th century

The temporary salt tax established in 1246, became permanent and then state monopoly in 1343 and was not definitively abolished until ..... 1946!
This tax levied by the general farm gave rise over the seven centuries to a solid vocation dedicated to smuggling and practiced by fake salt workers ever more ingenious and creative.
For storage away from humidity, a wooden chest, placed near the fireplace, is the most suitable of the containers. Hence the idea of ??creating a chest that will serve as a chair.
Legend has it that this chair was assigned to the grandmother who, with her long dress of the time, completely hid the chest part. The gabelou, or customs officer of the time, out of gallantry no doubt, did not bother the grandmother, thus neglecting the control of this furniture.