Casket thumbnail 1
Casket thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Silver, Room 69, The Whiteley Galleries

Casket

ca. 1630 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This casket with a wooden core and silver panels appears at first to be for everyday use. Its embossed strapwork, pinnacles, ball feet and winged cherub heads are all secular in character. Its function however was religious. Inside, the box has a red damask silk lining and a cloth of beige silk with a colourful floral embroidery and an IHS-monogram with three nails representing Christ's Passion. Such caskets were known to contain the Eucharist or relics. Some examples of this type have a lid surmounted by a cross.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 3 parts.

  • Casket
  • Key
  • Embroidered Cover
Materials and techniques
Wood, embossed silver, parcel-gilt, with damask, beads, embroidered silk and brass key
Brief description
Casket with wooden core, silver panels, embossed strapwork, and embroidered floral silk cover, Spain, ca. 1630
Physical description
Rectangular casket, wooden core, silver panels, embossed strapwork, 4 ball feet joined to body by winged masks, lid with 8 pinnacles and finial, brass key, red cloth, gold trim interior, containing decorated cloth with IHS inscribed.
Dimensions
  • Height: 22.5cm
  • Length: 26.8cm
  • Width: 19cm
Gallery label
Silver Gallery: This casket with a wooden core and silver panels appears at first to be for everyday use. Its embossed strapwork, pinnacles, ball feet and winged cherub heads are all secular in character. Its function however was religious. Inside, the box has a red damask silk lining and a cloth of beige silk with a colourful floral embroidery and an IHS-monogram with three nails representing Christ's Passion. Such caskets were known to contain the Eucharist or relics. Some examples of this type have a lid surmounted by a cross.(26/11/2002)
Object history
Edmund Bonaffe Collection
Summary
This casket with a wooden core and silver panels appears at first to be for everyday use. Its embossed strapwork, pinnacles, ball feet and winged cherub heads are all secular in character. Its function however was religious. Inside, the box has a red damask silk lining and a cloth of beige silk with a colourful floral embroidery and an IHS-monogram with three nails representing Christ's Passion. Such caskets were known to contain the Eucharist or relics. Some examples of this type have a lid surmounted by a cross.
Bibliographic reference
Oman, Charles. The Golden Age of Hispanic Silver, 1400-1665. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1968.
Collection
Accession number
M.542:1 to 3-1911

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Record createdFebruary 19, 2004
Record URL
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