Casket
ca. 1600 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
On the lid of this box is a depiction of the Jewish heroine Judith (dressed in the fashion of about 1600), with a sword and the head of Holofernes. Holofernes was the Assyrian general who had laid siege to the Jewish city of Bethulia, and whom Judith decapitated after pretending to betray her people (as told in the Old Testament Apocrypha).
Various boxes survive similarly decorated with flowers, fruits and symbols of romantic love. Some also depict Biblical scenes coupled with admonitory verses. Such a scene would have added a moral and religious dimension to an object that was probably given to mark a courtship or betrothal.
Inside the box are five painted drawers behind the ingenious, sliding front fitted with a sprung catch.
Various boxes survive similarly decorated with flowers, fruits and symbols of romantic love. Some also depict Biblical scenes coupled with admonitory verses. Such a scene would have added a moral and religious dimension to an object that was probably given to mark a courtship or betrothal.
Inside the box are five painted drawers behind the ingenious, sliding front fitted with a sprung catch.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Beech, boarded and painted |
| Brief description | Casket, German, ca. 1600 |
| Physical description | Mini-cabinet with sliding front panel; beech carcase and drawers, pinned together (no joints); painting on top depicts Judith and Holofernes, that on the front shows Amity. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Credit line | Given by E. J. Dent |
| Object history | Given by E.J. Dent Esq. RP: 23/4339 |
| Summary | On the lid of this box is a depiction of the Jewish heroine Judith (dressed in the fashion of about 1600), with a sword and the head of Holofernes. Holofernes was the Assyrian general who had laid siege to the Jewish city of Bethulia, and whom Judith decapitated after pretending to betray her people (as told in the Old Testament Apocrypha). Various boxes survive similarly decorated with flowers, fruits and symbols of romantic love. Some also depict Biblical scenes coupled with admonitory verses. Such a scene would have added a moral and religious dimension to an object that was probably given to mark a courtship or betrothal. Inside the box are five painted drawers behind the ingenious, sliding front fitted with a sprung catch. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | Circ.893-1923 |
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| Record created | December 19, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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