Ulf Weissenberger - Antike Tresore - Antique Safes

Weissenberger, Ulf: Antike Tresore / Antique Safes
Nuremberg: Bartlmüllner Verlag 2017

ISBN 978-3-942953-45-0

This bilingual work (German/English) by Ulf Weissenberger is comprehensively dedicated to the history and development of antique safes from antiquity to the early 20th century.

The first part deals with the origins of security technology, from bronze and iron keys to Roman chests and iron-bound boxes. This is followed by a detailed description of the development of safe construction since the 18th century: Floor and cabinet safes, showpieces, desk secretaries with integrated safes as well as regional variations in Italy, France and Germany.

One focus is on the production of safes in Marseille and the beginning industrialisation of safe making in the 19th century. Particular attention is paid to the technical innovations of leading locksmiths (such as Bramah and Chubb), the development of steel cabinets and the specific designs in the European centres.

The volume also covers the innovations of the early 20th century such as time and combination locks, display safes and the first technical devices for opening safes. The presentation is supplemented by criteria for dating safes and a glossary.

Richly illustrated and systematically organised, this work is one of the few comprehensive references on the subject and offers both art-historical and technical-historical insights into the fascinating world of safes.

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