Marriage Chest (Cassone)

The collection record classifies this work as furniture and woodwork. It is dated early 1500s. Recorded culture or place: Italy, early 16th century.

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OBJECT RECORD

A closer look at the details.

Museum title: Marriage Chest (Cassone)
Date: early 1500s
Culture / origin: Italy, early 16th century
Materials and technique: walnut with traces of gilding
Dimensions: Overall: 62.2 x 172 x 55.9 cm (24 1/2 x 67 11/16 x 22 in.)
Artist / maker: Not specified by the museum
Museum: The Cleveland Museum of Art
Accession number: 1942.609

FROM THE MUSEUM

In the museum’s words

The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.

Large storage chests resembling ancient Roman burial vaults-a popular collectible among wealthy families during the Renaissance-were often associated with an important marriage and contained the wife’s dowry of clothes and precious objects. This particular example displays the arms of the Spada Family of Rome amidst a richly carved façade on a gilded ground. Sometimes cassoni were carried in the marital procession from the bride’s home to that of her future husband, emphasizing the power and wealth of both families.

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