Octagonal casket with the Story of Paris and Virtues, bone horn and intarsia on a core of poplar, by the workshop of Baldassare Ubriachi, Italian (Florence or Venice), about 1390-1410

The scenes around the lower part of the casket tell the story of Paris. Scene 1, at the front of the casket, shows how the baby Paris is handed to the attendants of Queen Hecuba to be killed, because a prophecy tells that he shall be the ruin of Troy (the figure on the left of this scene is a modern insertion). In scene 2, the child is saved from death by Agelaeus the shepherd. In scene 3, Agelaeus hands the swaddled baby over to his wife, who emerges from a building. Scene 4 shows Agelaeus and the young Paris tending a herd of bulls, and scene 5 depicts Paris crowning one of the bulls with a wreath. Scene 6 illustrates the first part of the Judgement of Paris, as the three goddesses appear to him accompanied by Mercury, shown here as a bearded and winged figure. Scene 7 shows Paris about to pass judgement on the three naked goddesses, with Mercury raising the apple. The final scene shows Paris abducting Helen while armed guards look on.

The lid panel above the lock and scene 1 shows two plaques depicting naked men holding clubs and shields, with the figure on the left older and bearded. Their shields are pierced at top and bottom with holes, which would once have held nails to secure heraldic plaques over the blank shields. The other plaques on the lid show the standard group of Embriachi Virtues: Faith is shown above scene 2, followed by Hope, Charity, Prudence, Temperance, Justice and Fortitude.

The casket is in good condition, with some losses to the bone mouldings around the edges of the lid and base. The turned ivory finial is not original, and the lid is attached to the casket with modern hinges. The underside of the casket shows the reamins of dowels set into holes at each corner; this is where the casket's feet, now missing, would have been attached. The casket's interior is lined with a worn cream and red velvet, patterned in stripes.

The intarsia frames around the narrative scenes use an alternating pattern; four of the scenes have a foreshortened ribbon frame, while the others have a lozenge pattern frame. The frames around the lid are all identical. The intarsia has been applied using the standard Embriachi technique of prefabricated strips.

All narrative scenes and Virtues are surrounded by an elaborate bone frame, formed of two barley-twist columns and a pierced trefoil arch. This framing technique is often found on the more elaborate Embriachi caskets, both octagonal and rectangular. In the narrative scenes, the arch spandrels are pierced with quatrefoil medallions while on the lid, they are pierced with a single large hole. Metal fixings survive in several of these, and it is possible that they would once have served to hold decorative insets, perhaps of coloured glass.

There are minute trace of paint on some of the faces, black indicating the pupils of the eyes, and red on the lips. The casket was also decorated with details and inscriptions in gold leaf. The preparatory ground for this gold decoration survives as a yellow staining which can be seen throughout the casket.

Given by Dr. W. L. Hildburgh

In the collection of Dr. W. L. Hildburgh, F. S. A., by 1928, when it was placed on loan to the Museum; given by Dr. Hildburgh in 1952.

This is a casket in bone, horn and intarsia, made by the workshop of Baldassare Ubriachi in Italy (Florence or Venice) in about 1390-1410. It carries the story of Paris and the Virtues. The story of Paris was among the more common subjects selected for representation on caskets produced by the workshop of Baldassare Ubriachi. Such caskets are often known by the title 'Embriachi work'; the term derives from a mis-reading of Baldassare's family name by nineteenth-century scholars. Baldassare himself was not a sculptor - he was the impresario and financial means behind the business. The head of the workshop, which by the early fifteenth century was based in Venice, was the Florentine sculptor Giovanni di Jacopo. Caskets of this sort were often used for presentation as part of the gifts presented to an espoused bride by the prospective husband following the conclusion of negotiations between the two families, but prior to the exchange of vows and rings.

A.19-1952