France

Masterpiece by Nicolas Vadel

This lock is clearly a virtuoso masterpiece. In addition to the date and signature engraved on the lower panel, the abundance and care of the décor leave the viewer in no doubt: openwork panels carved with symmetrical foliage, the door escutcheon with bust of Christ, the architectural setting with columns surmounted by a pediment adorned with an angel's head. The back of the box, fully carved with grotesques blooming among floral motifs, faces the other way, after rotation, as if the future master felt called upon to prove he also knew how to organise his work in terms of safe locks... The two-bolt mechanism is also lavishly decorated. The domed lantern key follows the general trend for masterpiece keys that was de rigueur in the sixteenth century. The inscription ‘Champ’ following the signature, which no doubt designates a place, remains to be clarified.