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Casket

mid 15th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This casket, Upper Rhenish, probably of the mid fifteenth century, was in the possession of Cardinal Albrecht von Brandenburg at Halle an der Saale, who made it a casket for relics, which contained apparently 502 particles. Albrecht had a big collection of relics called the 'Hallesche Heiltum', a collection which was already started by his predecessor Ernst von Sachsen. The pieces from the 'Hallesche Heiltum' were depicted in the 'Aschaffenburger Codex'.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Carved bone, mounted over red leather on a wooden core, in brass framework
Brief description
Casket, bone mounted on red leather, knights and monsters, Germany (Upper Rhine), probably middle of the 15th century
Physical description
Panels carved in openwork with the following subjects: On the lid two knights tilting; in front, a heraldic lion and griffin; at one end, a wild man struggling with a bear; at the other end, a man spearing a stag; at the back, two dragons with necks intertwined. The bottom is covered with red leather slightly tooled, incised with tall plant designs in the corners and around the edges. Brass handle on lid, and lock.
Dimensions
  • Height: 9cm
  • Width: 21cm
  • Depth: 13.7cm
Object history
In the collection of Louis-Fidel Debruge-Duménil (1788-1838) and heirs, Paris, until 1850 (Labarte 1847, cat. no. 1494, ill. on p. 1); Debruge-Duménil sale, Paris, 2 February 1850, lot 1494; Lord Hastings collection, Melton Constable, Norfolk, by 1857 (Manchester 1857, no. 316); Hastings sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, 20 <arch 1888, lot 259 (bought Durlacher); George Salting collection, London; Salting Bequest, 1910 (no. 909). It should be noted that Longhurst confused and combined the provenance of the present casket with another closely similar example once in the Meyrick abd Spitzer collections.
From the Salting bequest.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This casket, Upper Rhenish, probably of the mid fifteenth century, was in the possession of Cardinal Albrecht von Brandenburg at Halle an der Saale, who made it a casket for relics, which contained apparently 502 particles. Albrecht had a big collection of relics called the 'Hallesche Heiltum', a collection which was already started by his predecessor Ernst von Sachsen. The pieces from the 'Hallesche Heiltum' were depicted in the 'Aschaffenburger Codex'.
Bibliographic references
  • 'Salting Bequest (A. 70 to A. 1029-1910) / Murray Bequest (A. 1030 to A. 1096-1910)'. In: List of Works of Art Acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum (Department of Architecture and Sculpture). London: Printed under the Authority of his Majesty's Stationery Office, by Eyre and Spottiswoode, Limited, East Harding Street, EC, p. 95
  • Longhurst, Margaret H. Catalogue of Carvings in Ivory. Part II. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1929, p. 57
  • Jopek, N. 'Der Kardinal', in: Kunstchronik. vol. 61, 2008, p. 216 (Gd. 141)
  • Syndram, Dirk, Wirth, Yvonne, Wagner, Iris Yvonne, ed. by, Luther und die Fürsten, Sandstein Verlag, Dresden, 2015, exh. cat., cat. no. 15, pp. 79-80, fig. 15.
  • Williamson, Paul and Davies, Glyn, Medieval Ivory Carvings, 1200-1550, (in 2 parts), V&A Publishing, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2014 part II, pp. 692-697
  • Williamson, Paul and Davies, Glyn, Medieval Ivory Carvings, 1200-1550, (in 2 parts), V&A Publishing, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2014, part II, pp. 692-697, cat. no. 239
Collection
Accession number
A.570-1910

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
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