A chest of wide pine boards put together with grooved joints at the square corner posts. The cover of two boards is held by bevelled keys on the forged strap-hinges. The inside is a covered compartment called the "equipette" or till which perhaps provided storage space for jewels, important papers, and small objects.
The care taken in its construction, the presence of a till and lock, and the vivid green colour are characteristic of a bride's chest. A moulding at the centre in the form of a "V" could serve as a reminder, in a simplified manner, of the heart painted at the same place on several bridal chests in France.
The chest decorated with a "V" was typical of Quebec, ╠le d'OrlΘans, C⌠te-de-BeauprΘ, and Bellechasse. Many were found in a two hundred-year-old house on the ╠le d'OrlΘans, like so many witnesses of former nuptials.
