Oblong casket, alder wood, northern Italy, ca. 1500

Oblong casket on low, bun feet, the lid hinged. All visible surfaces are decorated with pastiglia decoration of moulded decoration of small figures in lead-paste composition, set against a gilded ground. The scene on the front shows the Torments of Marcus Attilius Regulus; the back shows the Self-sacrifice of Marcus Curtius; the right side shows Pyramus and Thisbe; the left side shows the Death of Actaeon; the lid is decorated with garlands and grotesque decoration with a conical rosette surmounted by a ball. The front shows a small keyhole, from which protrudes a small metal rod. The rod is attached on the inside to a small vertical metal strip. This is almost certainly a nineteenth-century addition. The inside of the box is of plain wood, with traces of paint, but quite rough and ready. It is not compartmentalised.

Bought for £1 .16s (no other information recorded in acquisition register)

This type of casket appears to have assumed a variety of roles ranging from jewellery boxes to the Italian Renaissance equivalent of the sponge-bag. James Yorke notes that 10 pastiglia boxes were made for Verde d'Este as part of her nun's dowry for holding her smaller possessions, including combs, rosaries and tooth-picks in 1452-53. Yorke mentions, from another inventory, boxes described as decorated with 'figure de moscho (musk) relevadi (in relief)', to hold 'paternostri (rosaries) de moscho' and 'ungue da denti et scriminali (tooth brushes)'.

The present box may have been presented as a gift, containing objects such as brooches, gold necklaces, and carved ivory needle cases, from the groom to his prospective bride during the prolonged courtship period before marriage. James Yorke writes that what has been referred to as 'pastiglia' from c.1900 onwards would seem to have been called 'pasta di muschio' in accounts in Ferrara from c.1450 on. The word 'muschio' would imply that such items were originally scented.
Certainly, Isabella d'Este appears to have stored the perfumes she made in little boxes, such as pastiglia boxes, which may have had something to do with preserving the scent or enhancing it. The use of scent in the manufacture of these boxes may have been the equivalent of a sachet of lavender placed in a drawer. These boxes were not used exclusively by women, as the casket given to Cardinal Cles demonstrates, and they were also a firm favourite with Duke Borso d'Este.

The principal ornamentation of these caskets falls into four groups: scenes from ancient Roman history; subjects drawn from mythology; purely ornamental designs ‘all’antica’, and a few scenes derived from the Old and New Testaments. Pastiglia boxes with relief scenes from Roman history are representative of the renewed Renaissance interest in Antiquity, and the shared ideals of lofty purpose and moral fortitude exemplified by stories such as that of Marcus Curtius or Attilius Regulus.However the classical and biblical scenes, such as the story of Pyramus & Thisbe, or Susanna and the Elders, also served to highlight the power of love and the strength of female virtue – appropriate exempla for young newly weds.

The application of grotesque and floral ornament on all the areas not already decorated with figurative scenes is typical of the still strong horror vacui of the Middle Ages.

There is also a close relationship between bronze-makers and pastiglia box-makers in terms of the iconography used. Andrea Mantegna created iconographic models which were to be used, through intermediaries, by the white lead pastiglia industry in northern Italy.

Presumably this must have depended on the purpose to which the casket was put. If used for holding jewels or items of personal hygiene, they would have been placed in the camera, and many authors view them as pendants to painted bridal chests.
If used to hold small objects such as coins and statuettes ‘all’antica’, as de Winter suggests, then they may have been found in the study. I think the plain, ungilt interior of this box may indicate that it was used to contain paternosters, brooches or things pertaining to the female toilette, rather than items to be kept and showed off in a studiolo.

What is certain is that they were highly decorative and clearly meant to be seen. They must have stood on convenient shelves and tables where they could be admired.

This box is very similar in design to box W.24-1953 - it is possible that they originate from the same workshop. They both have a small metal rod protruding from a hole in the front panel and attached to a strip of metal inside.

Horrific scenes from Roman legends often decorated 16th-century objects, partly because their owners enjoyed finding new moral meanings in them. A warning to the curious appears on the side of this casket: the hunter Actaeon is torn apart by his hounds because he spied on the goddess Diana as she bathed. The decoration is moulded from a lead-based paste known as pastiglia, set against a gilded ground.

1565-1855