Chest (furniture)

A chest (also called a coffer or kist) is a type of furniture typically having a rectangular structure with four walls and a removable or hinged lid, primarily used for storage, usually of personal items.

[1] The early uses of an antique chest or coffer included storage of fine cloth, weapons, foods and valuable items.

Many early portable desks were stacked chests, with the top one having its lid on the side, to serve as a writing surface when opened.

[citation needed] According to Webster's Dictionary (1988), a chest is "a box with a lid and often, a lock, for storing or shipping things" or as "a cabinet as for holding medical supplies, toiletries, etc.".

[9] A simple chest, called a wakis ("wagon-kist") was commonly used in the Dutch Cape Colony (now part of South Africa) as a seat on a wagon.

Today, many Middle Eastern furniture chests are known by place names, such as Omani or Bahraini, but this most often refers to where they were purchased rather than where they were made.

In Arabic, two terms are used for the dowry chest: The muqaddimah[11] was specifically for the bride's personal possessions; and the "sunduq", which normally came in matching pairs, were for other goods.