Carved Iron-Mounted Storage Trunk/Chest On Stand, Mexico

Lot description

Carved storage trunk/chest, Mexico, having hinged top with iron-mounted strap, pierced escutcheon with patterned engravings, rising on stand, accompanied by chained key, some remnants of old woodworm, approx 14.75"h, 27.5"w, 15.5"d, overall: 26 5/8"h, 28 7/8"w, 16.5"d Provenance: From the estate of Connie Todd (Constance Clare Todd, Austin, Texas, 1941-2024). For many years, Connie Todd was the personal assistant to prominent Austin-based book publisher, photographer, and author Bill Wittliff (William Dale Wittliff, American, active in Austin, Texas, 1940-2019). Bill Wittliff wrote celebrated screenplays such as "Lonesome Dove" (1982), "Legends of the Fall" (1994), and "Barbarosa" (2000), and founded the regionally-oriented publishing company, Encino Press, with his wife Sally in 1963. Connie Todd later served as the founding director of the Wittliff Collections at Texas State University from 1997-2010, transforming it into an internationally-acclaimed collection through noteworthy acquisitions such as the Cormac McCarthy archive. After retiring from Texas State, Connie Todd spent time traveling the world with friends and family.