Casket
1400-1500 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
When the Museum acquired this box from a Paris-based dealer in 1864, it was thought to be either French or Spanish (perhaps because it may have been previously in Spain). The decoration is typical of International Gothic, a flamboyant style that originated in France around 1390 and spread throughout Europe, as far south as non-Islamic Spain. It was probably made in Switzerland or alpine Germany, and originally stood on a matching base. Although it is made mostly from inexpensive materials, they are worked with extreme intricacy so as to look as elaborate and costly as possible. It is likely to have been used for jewellery and other trinkets.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Pieces of carved tracery applied over coloured paper or parchment background on sunken panels on lid and side of box |
| Brief description | Upper Germany, Switzerland(?) or France, 1400-1500, carved tracery over paper or parchment |
| Physical description | Wood (possibly maple or limewood) covered with appliqué floriated tracery over paper or parchment, originally heightened with colours and gilding. Inside is a lidded compartment with false bottom that conceals a secret sub-compartment. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Production type | Unique |
| Object history | Purchased for £3.4.0 from Schmidt, Paris. |
| Summary | When the Museum acquired this box from a Paris-based dealer in 1864, it was thought to be either French or Spanish (perhaps because it may have been previously in Spain). The decoration is typical of International Gothic, a flamboyant style that originated in France around 1390 and spread throughout Europe, as far south as non-Islamic Spain. It was probably made in Switzerland or alpine Germany, and originally stood on a matching base. Although it is made mostly from inexpensive materials, they are worked with extreme intricacy so as to look as elaborate and costly as possible. It is likely to have been used for jewellery and other trinkets. |
| Bibliographic reference | Ancient and Modern Furniture & Woodwork in the South Kensington Museum, described with an introduction by John Hungerford Pollen, (London, 1874), p. 40
'Box, or casket. Wood, covered with appliqué floriated tracery over paper, originally heightened with colours and gilding. Spanish (?). Second half of the 16th century. H. 3 in., L. 8 in., W. 5 in. Bought, 3l. 4s.
Like No. 5907. '59, this box or casket is decorated with tracery work laid over foils. It is thinner and more fretted than the other. It is too spider-like in its complication, and looks poor and weak compared with the other. But these methods of ornamentation for small objects are readily put into practice, and deserve attention for the simplicity of the means in use to attain effects apparently the very reverse of simple or unimportant.' |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1206-1864 |
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| Record created | October 5, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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