Casket
16th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This casket might have held jewellery or other precious items. It is made of copper alloy covered with a thin layer of gold (gilt) but the style of the decoration is typical of brass wares made in Venice between 1500 and 1600. It was influenced by the objects Venetian merchants brought back to the city when trading with the Turkish and Arab empires that bordered the Mediterranean.
The decoration was almost always engraved (as here) and often covered the entire surface of an object. It featured the arabesque pattern seen here, with intricate scrolling motifs based on a stylised plant with a winding stem. Italian artists studied and copied the new arabesque style of decoration and by about 1550 it was beginning to influence designers all over Europe.
The decoration was almost always engraved (as here) and often covered the entire surface of an object. It featured the arabesque pattern seen here, with intricate scrolling motifs based on a stylised plant with a winding stem. Italian artists studied and copied the new arabesque style of decoration and by about 1550 it was beginning to influence designers all over Europe.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Bronze gilt, engraved |
| Brief description | Bronze-gilt casket and cover, enamelled with arabesques and scroll designs, Italian, 16th century |
| Physical description | Casket with cover, rectangular, with curved sides lessening upwards; it is engraved all over with arabesques and scroll designs, symmetrically arranged; the inside of the cover is also similarly decorated. At the bottom on one side is a drawer. The spaces between the ornament have been originally enamelled. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This casket might have held jewellery or other precious items. It is made of copper alloy covered with a thin layer of gold (gilt) but the style of the decoration is typical of brass wares made in Venice between 1500 and 1600. It was influenced by the objects Venetian merchants brought back to the city when trading with the Turkish and Arab empires that bordered the Mediterranean. The decoration was almost always engraved (as here) and often covered the entire surface of an object. It featured the arabesque pattern seen here, with intricate scrolling motifs based on a stylised plant with a winding stem. Italian artists studied and copied the new arabesque style of decoration and by about 1550 it was beginning to influence designers all over Europe. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 839-1891 |
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| Record created | January 26, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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