Stock no: 70321

A late 17th century Italian walnut Cassone with central cartouche flanked by caryatids raised on carved paw feet. 

61"w x 23"h x 20"d

Circa 1680

£1,685

The cassone was a quintessential object-and arguably the most important-in the household of an aristocrat during the Italian Renaissance. They were the most widely produced decorative art objects during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, commissioned in commemoration of a wedding.
It was not uncommon for two families to unite in marriage for the sole purpose of financial or political gain. As a result, gifts displaying the wealth of both families were an important factor in matrimony. In preparation for the wedding, it was customary for the man to commission a marriage chest like this one, to be used in the wedding procession and later in the household of the newlyweds. Given as gifts from the groom to the bride's family, cassoni were almost always produced in pairs. Inside each chest would have been placed a small casket, often of silver or another precious material.

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