Exceptional Venetian Wedding Cassone

Italian Renaissance wedding cassone Origin : Northern Italy, Between Milan And Bologne Period : 15th Century Height : 55 cm Width : 156.5 cm D...

This cassone, remarkable for its sobriety, sits on two clawed lion’s feet and a moulded base. On the façade, there is one large, moulded frame, with two soberly carved medallions inside it. Each medallion has a painted coat of arms at the centre. The two coats of arms are different, suggesting that there was an alliance between two families through marriage. The thick lid has a fluted frieze at the front. On the sides, a wrought iron handle reminds us of the use of this piece, which was intended for storing the property of its owner and allowing them to travel between various residences. The square shaped handles highlight the earliness of this object in the century. The cassone is, along with the bed, a key piece of furniture of the Middle Ages and was still used in the Renaissance Period.

The lower part of the facade is adorned with a foliated and fruit garland. The facade’s central panel bears a low-relief decor framed by a rais-de-cœur frieze. The central scene a...

Large wedding chest in tinted and gilded walnut, the lid animated with a frieze of pearls, the sides with compartments, the belt decorated with gadroons. It rests on four claw feets.