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Casket

ca. 1410-1430 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This casket is made in North Italy, Venice in about 1410-1430.
This type of coarsely made, small casket survives in large numbers, and although they are often attributed to the Embriachi workshop, there seem good reasons for arguing that they were in fact produced by a number of workshops during the first decades of the fifteenth century. When one compares the range of caskets using these compositions, the stylistic disparity between many of them is striking, and strongly suggests that multiple workshops were producing free variants on the theme.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Carved bone, horn and intarsia on a softwood carcase, inlaid with "alla certosina" marquetry
Brief description
Casket, bone, horn and intarsia on a softwood casket with "alla certosina" marquetry, North Italy (Venice), ca. 1410-1430
Physical description
This oblong casket has a sloping, stepped lid, which is still attached with its original ring hinges. Along the sides runs a continuous frieze of wide carved bone plaques with pairs of figures, apparently all women. Three basic designs are used which can all be seen on the front of the casket. At each corner is a standing figure bearing a lance and colossal shield; all the figures are seen frontally with the heads turning to left or right.
Round the central section of the lid runs a narrower bone frieze, which is further embellished with prefabricated decorative strips of intarsia in wood, horn and stained bone. On the long side are winged amorini supporting a blank shield, and on the short sides, a four-petal rosette.
The lock mechanism is not original, nor is the handle which seems to replace. At the top of the casket is a metal handle.
Dimensions
  • With handle height: 16.7cm
  • Without handle height: 14.4cm
  • Width: 17.8cm
  • Depth: 11.6cm
Object history
Acquired by Dr. W. L. Hildburgh, London, in San Sebastian in 1917; on loan to the Museum from 1929 and given by Dr. W. L. Hildburgh, F. S. A., 1952.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This casket is made in North Italy, Venice in about 1410-1430.
This type of coarsely made, small casket survives in large numbers, and although they are often attributed to the Embriachi workshop, there seem good reasons for arguing that they were in fact produced by a number of workshops during the first decades of the fifteenth century. When one compares the range of caskets using these compositions, the stylistic disparity between many of them is striking, and strongly suggests that multiple workshops were producing free variants on the theme.
Bibliographic references
  • 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. 848-849
  • 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. 848-849, cat. no. 279
Collection
Accession number
A.22-1952

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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