Cassone
Dateabout 1430
Mediumgilded and painted gesso on wood
Dimensions61.9 x 187 x 61.3 cm (24 3/8 x 73 5/8 x 24 1/8 in.)
ClassificationsFurniture
Credit LineAustin S. and Sarah C. Garver Fund
Terms
Object number1949.39
Label TextCassoni are large chests that were manufactured in Italy between the 1300s and the 1500s. During this time, the decorative styles of these chests evolved dramatically. Until the middle of the 1400s, cassoni featured painted panels with narratives, such as the Scenes at the Coronation of the Emperor Frederick III at Rome above, or textile-inspired reliefs. By the early 1500s, carving had become the primary decorative treatment of these chests.
Typically commissioned in pairs by men (fathers or grooms), cassoni were installed in the home of a newly married couple. Until about 1460, it was customary to parade cassoni through the streets from the home of a bride to that of her new husband. Later chests were important parts of marital ceremonies, but they were not displayed publically.
ProvenanceWilliam Randolph Hearst, New York, by 1944; sold to the Brummer Gallery, New York, July 28, 1944 [object inventory card no. N6062]; purchased by the Worcester Art Museum at the Collection of Joseph Brummer Sale, part I, Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, April 20–23, 1949.On View
On viewCollections
