A close-up of the painted decoration of dowry chests

Meșteriuc Ștefania, Huică Irina

In the vast context of cultural heritage, the interdisciplinary approach is a fundamental pillar. The importance of this approach becomes evident in the research of seven painted dowry chests - a typological category of heritage objects for which information is limited. These artefacts, although deeply connected to local communities and their cultural-social traditions, remain relatively unexplored. Written sources devoted to these dowry chests are scarce, leaving us to contextually infer most aspects of their mode of manufacture, stylistic influences, and material composition.

Existing gaps in the bibliography on painted dowry chests emphasize the need for a broader approach. This study aims at a detailed investigation of the painted decorations found on their surfaces, by means of non-invasive techniques. As a result of this approach, particularities of the materials and techniques used in the painted decoration were highlighted, and a comparison of them was made for the seven pieces under study.

The accumulated information has the potential to shed light on some lesser-known aspects of these objects, contributing to a deeper understanding of the cultural context from which they originate and the traditional techniques used in their manufacture.