Marriage chest

The plinth of the huge, heavy softwood chest is decorated with an undulating line cut into the front and with hearts cut into the two sides. Inside are two drawers with round iron mounts, a console with gold painted bay leaves stands in the middle. The plinth shows two figures, one at each end. On the left, is the groom, in Hungarian noble's clothing, holding a glass. It has faded, and is hardly recognizable today. On the right, is the bride, holding a wreath. The sides are decorated with four broad frames that enclose foliage decoration painted on a white background. The two upper fields have iron mounts. Inside, is a profiled smaller chest, and there are five small green drawers on the back of the chest, with round iron mounts. In the rusticated arches on the left, Lucretia is pictured thrusting a dagger into her heart. On the right, we see three quarters of the figure of Cornelia, painted in rich colours.
From 1931 onwards the figures were mentioned in the literature as "Lucretia" and the "Allegory of Love." However, it is now assumed that the figure on the right is not an allegory but Cornelia, a famous female figure of ancient Rome, the mother of Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus. This view is supported by the two young boys in the picture, one sitting on his mother's arm, the other – 8–10 years old – appearing in the right-hand corner of the picture. Lucretia, the wife of Tarquinius Collatinus, is a symbol of the virtues of good housekeeping and fidelity is Roman legends, while, Cornelia with her sons represents the virtues of motherhood. On this marriage chest the figures illustrate the perfect wife and mother. The top is decorated with an inlay in a broad gilded frame. The tapering pilasters that divide the front and the tulip motifs painted on the white surface of the two lower drawers all help to improve the clumsy architecture of the chest.