Casket, wood covered with painted ivory plaques, with gilt copper mounts, Siculo-Arabic, 12th-13th century, with French paintings of the second half of the 14th century

Casket of wood covered with twnety-two illuminated shields of arms much defaced; the arms include those of France, Clermont-Nesle, Châtillon-sur-Marne, Flanders, Brabant, Visconti, Bourbon, Burgundy and Courcy; on the lid are figures enthroned under Gothic canopies, of the Virgin and Child and Pope Felix; the band of foliate scrolls round the base of the lid and the scattered designs, though apparently based on earlier work, are probably contemporary; some of the gilded copper mounts are modern.
The arms are distributed over the panels of the lid and the sides of the coffer from the dexter to sinister, as follows:
Top of lid:
1. (Azure) semy of fleur-de-lys or; FRANCE, as bourne until the middle of the reign of Charles VI, about 1400
2. Gules (semi trefoils and) two barbel or; CLERMONT-NESLE
3. Same (?) as 1.
Front of lid:
4. (Gules) three pales vair and a chief or with a martlet sable in the canton; CHÂTILLON-SUR-MARNE, for Gaucher, Lord of Châtillon, Constable of France 1302, Count of Porcéan or or Château-Porcien in Champagne, d. 1329, and his decendants the lords of La Ferté-en-Ponthieu, Marigny, etc.
5. Or a lion rampnat sable; Flanders.
6. Obliterated, but porbalby same as 4.
Back slope of lid:
7-9. Obliterated.
Dexter (left) slope of lid:
10. Sable or lion rampant or; BRABANT.
Sinister (right) slope of lid:
11. Obliterated
Front of box:
12. Obliterated, except inbase: (Argent) the tail of a snake ondoyant in pale azure; VISCONTI, impaling (azure semy of fleur-de-lys or; France ancient?): Isabelle, youngest daughter of John II of France, consort, 1360-72, of Giovanni Galeazzo Visconti, Count of Vertus, later Duke of Milan.
13. Obliterated.
14. (Azure) semy of fleur-de-lys or a bend gules; BOURBON; for Robert of France, Count of Clermont-en-Beauvoisis, d. 1318, and his descendants the Dukes of Bourbon, throughout the fourteenth century.
15. same as 12.
16. Bendy or and azure a bordure gules; BURGUNDY ancient-the ducal line extinct in 1361.
17. Obliterated.
18. Same as 4 or 22; CHÂTILLON.
Dexter (left) Side of box:
19. Barry or vair and (gules); COUCY (?).
20. Gironny...and gules.
Sinister (right) side of box:
21. Obliterated, except in base the trace of a lion rampant or.
22. same as 4; CHÂTILLON, but the difference in the chief was apparently that of the branch of Dampierre: two lions counter-passant sable, the tail of one of which is perhaps still traceable.

Bought in 1871 from the Webb collection.

Siculo-Arabic with French paintings of the second half of the 14th century

This casket of wood, which was originally used as a relic container, is covered with illuminated shields of arms much defaced. The significance of the heraldry has not been established: the coat of arms include those of France, Clermont-Nesle, Châtillon-sur-Marne, Flanders, Brabant, Visconti, Bourbon, Burgundy and Courcy. On the lid are figures enthroned under Gothic canopies, of the Virgin and Child and Pope Felix, which have been heavily restored; the band of foliate scrolls round the base of the lid and the scattered designs, though apparently based on earlier work, are probably contemporary; some of the gilded copper mounts are modern.

369-1871