Workshop of the Roman Triumphs, Northern Italy, Ferrara, circa 1530
Pastiglia Casket
Estimate
7,000 - 10,000 EUR
Lot Details
Description
Workshop of the Roman Triumphs
Northern Italy, Ferrara, circa 1530
Pastiglia Casket
baked paste known as pastiglia moulded reliefs, on a partly gilt wooden core
14 by 20.3 by 14.5cm.; 5½ by 8 by 5¾in.
rectangular casket resting on four pressed round feet; the body decorated with a Roman triumphal procession on a guilloché background on the four sides, each side with a double border of alternated griffins and grotesque masks, and a leafy foliage frieze at the bottom; the flat lid framed by a double border with a laurel garland and interlacing motif, the center decorated with mythical creatures, four sphinxes and two half-length figures topped with a crown, with a ball-shaped handle
These small, precious boxes, known as a pastiglia, first appeared in northern Italy in the 15th century. They were the perfect type of lavish gift to give to young brides before their wedding, in which they could keep jewellery and other small valuables such as medals and precious stones. They consist of a wooden core decorated in relief with a paste made mainly of white lead, which is moulded and then applied. These friezes are directly derived from ancient models.
Another casket with a similar decoration was bequeathed by Baron Davillier to the Louvre Museum (on loan to the Renaissance Museum, Château d'Écouen, inv. ECL21343). The similar procession scenes were probably made by the same workshop, referred to by P. M. de Winter as the ‘Workshop of Roman Triumphs’. The two elephants preceded by two oxen depicted on one of the side panels are directly inspired by Mantegna's Triumph of Caesar, which was at the time in the Ducal Palace in Mantua and widely known through engravings (Royal Collections of England, Hampton Court, inv. 403958).
RELATED LITERATURE
P. M. de Winter, « A little-known creation of Renaissance Decorative Arts: The white lead Pastiglia Box », in Saggi e Memorie di storia dell’art, no. 14, 1984, pp. 9-131.
You May Also Like
