Wooden dowry box

Wooden dowry box, adorned with painted floral motifs, supported on legs cut out of wooden boards, which conceal wooden wheels. Inside, at the left side, it has the so-called half-box – półskrzynek – a narrow and long lockable compartment for valuable items. The box was intended for collecting the dowry, which was given to the bride to be. It would go with the bride to her new family and in many cases remain there for many years and even generations to come. It played an important role during the move to the husband's house, when it was carried in the open, and in some cases even opened up, so that the entire community could see the clothes, intricately embroidered linens or kitchen accessories that the bride brought as dowry. The half-box in turn held small items such as red beads, jewellery, documents and letters. Originally, these boxes were stored in pantries, but later they started being put in rooms and homes as a decoration. The chest on display dates back to the early 20th century. It was not made locally – it was imported, since there was no workshop in the Łańcut district which would manufacture them. The oldest chests had two black rectangular fields decorated with a white volute plant pattern on the raw wood painted on the front wall. The newer ones, made in Sokołów had one green rectangular field on a yellow swirl background, adorned with a garland or a fan-shaped bouquet of flowers. The chests with painted circus rosettes on a yellow background with four volute motifs placed in the centre of the corners were rare. Painted chests were bought from carpenters from Sokołów at fairs in Łańcut, Żołynia, Rzeszów, as well as during the annual fair in Zaczernie on the day of Our Lady of the Sowing, celebrated on 8 September. Joanna Kluz