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Design for a carved wooden cassone

Drawing
Late 16th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Rome (made)

Design for a carved wooden cassone, decorated with two scenes from Roman history; Gaius Mucius Scaevola before Porsenna, and Horatius Cocles defending the bridge; at the centre is a cartouche for a coat of arms, at the corners are caryatids; the lower part is carved with rams heads between garlands, and the feet are formed of satyr masks.


Object details

Category
Drawings
Object type
Drawing
TitleDesign for a carved wooden cassone (published title)
Materials and techniques
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Pen
Ink
Wash
Paper
Drawing
Brief description
Drawing, Design for a carved wooden cassone, decorated with two scenes from Roman history; Gaius Mucius Scaevola before Porsenna, and Horatius Cocles defending the bridge; at the centre is a cartouche for a coat of arms, at the corners are caryatids; the lower part is carved with rams heads between garlands, and the feet are formed of satyr masks.
Physical description
Design for a carved wooden cassone, decorated with two scenes from Roman history; Gaius Mucius Scaevola before Porsenna, and Horatius Cocles defending the bridge; at the centre is a cartouche for a coat of arms, at the corners are caryatids; the lower part is carved with rams heads between garlands, and the feet are formed of satyr masks.
Dimensions
  • Height: 12cm
  • Width: 27.9cm
Style
Italian School
Production typeDesign
Object history
Purchased, 1971

The palmette motif and the masked feet of this cassone appear on one similar, dated c.1570, which is in the Musee Cluny, Paris (Schubring, No.867, pl. CLXXI). Schubring also discribes a carved chest with the same scenes on either side of the cartouche for a coat of arms, which was in private possesion in St petersburg and exhibited in 1885. It is dated c.1530 (Schubring, no.852).
Bibliographic references
  • Ward-Jackson, Peter, Italian Drawings Volume I. 14th-16th century, London: Her Majesty's Stationary Office, 1979, p. 221. The text is as follows: ROME: late 16th century 494 Design for a carved wooden cassone Pen and ink and wash 4 7/8 x 11 (124 x 280) E.311-1971 PROVENANCE Bought 1971 The two scenes from the legendary history of Rome on the front of the cassone contain reminiscences of two of Polidoro Caldara’s façade painting in Rome, celebrated and much copied at that time. One of the paintings (Horatius Coccles) was on a house near S. Agata dei Goti; the other (Mucius Scaevola before Porsenna) was on the Palazzo Ricci. The compositions are illustrated in Marabottini, pls. 128 (I) and 142 (3).
  • P. Schubring, Cassoni: Truhen und Truhenbilder der italienischen Früh-Renaissance. Ein Beitrag zur profanmalerei im Quattrocento, Leipzig, 1915.
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.311-1971

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O686570/design-for-a-carved-wooden-drawing-unknown/
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