Lot n° 41
Estimation :
15000 - 20000
EUR
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SMALL 'Cassetta' CHEST made of carved wood, painted in polyc - Lot 41
SMALL 'Cassetta' CHEST made of carved wood, painted in polychrome and gilded, decorated with the coats of arms of the Medici and Cappello families
Italy, Florence, circa 1578
Resting on concave feet adorned with cherub heads; the front panel, framed by double scroll borders, flanked by pairs of nude caryatids; the reverse side bears several paper labels indicating its provenance from 1922
Height: 49 cm (19 ¼ in.); Width: 74 cm (29 in.); Depth: 48 cm (19 in.)
PROVENANCE:
-Most likely commissioned by Francesco I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1541–1587), and his wife Bianca Cappello (1548–1587), who were married in 1578 in Florence, Italy.
-Furniture and Works of Art from the Castle Formerly Occupied by the Savoy Family in Verzuolo (Piedmont), Italy, and Other Valuable Artistic Property Recently Selected Abroad by the Connoisseur Chevalier Raoul Tolentino, auction of the American Art Association, New York, February 16–18, 1922, lot 240.
-Private collection, Florence, Italy.
In his seminal work *The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy* (1860), Jacob Burckhardt highlights the link between the rise of Renaissance culture and the refinement of domestic life, particularly through the development of comfort and furniture in Italy (Burckhardt, 2010, p. 227). From this same perspective, Wilhelm von Bode observes that, beginning in the second half of the Quattrocento, the rise of individualism and the pursuit of greater comfort fostered a renewal of Florentine furnishings, particularly under the impetus of the Medici (Bode, 1921, p. 7).
The cassetta (small chest) is an emblematic example of this evolution in furniture. Also known as a cassa, cofanetto, or forzierino depending on its use and region of origin, this small chest characteristic of Tuscany developed during the same period as the cassone, sharing a similar stylistic language with it. The cassone—a large, richly decorated chest with a single compartment—evolved notably under the influence of Mannerist trends, which sought to “create sculpted forms and transform the chest into a structure with a curved silhouette reminiscent of ancient Roman marble sarcophagi ” (Paolini, in the V&A exhibition catalog, p. 121).
Carved primarily from walnut and partially gilded, the cassetta derives from the round or oval gesso boxes of the 14th and 15th centuries, which were used to store jewelry and fine linens. These boxes, which had become less suited to growing needs, were notably too light and small to provide adequate protection against theft (Bode, 1921, p. 11). Intended as engagement gifts, the cassettes replaced them and were likely used to store precious objects as well as items from the dowry, such as sewing tools…
Our small chest features a coat of arms centered on the front panel, with the characteristic six balls (palle), belonging to the Medici family (Di Crollalanza, 1965, p. 119). A political dynasty, a family of bankers, and a princely house, the Medici became hereditary dukes of Florence in 1531, then grand dukes of Tuscany in 1569, a title they retained until 1737. Famous for their patronage of the arts, they produced four popes for the Catholic Church—Leo X, Clement VII, Pius IV, and Leo XI—as well as two queens of France, Catherine and Marie de’ Medici. The coat of arms on the opposite panel, depicting a wide-brimmed hat, belongs to the Cappello family, originally from Capua and the Campagna, who contributed to the construction of the Church of Santa Maria Formosa in Venice (Brown, 2004, p. 13).
Francesco de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1541–1587), married Bianca Cappello (1548–1587) in 1578, and it was on this occasion that the small chest (cassetta) shown here must have been commissioned. Their relationship had begun in 1564, when both were already married: Bianca to Piero Buonaventuri, a Florentine of modest means, and Francesco to Archduchess Jeanne of Austria (1547–1578), whom he had married in 1565. After fourteen years of a romantic relationship, Bianca and Francesco were married in a private ceremony in 1578. Due to the recent death of Jeanne of Austria, their union was not publicly celebrated until the following year, when Bianca became Grand Duchess.
Comparative Bibliography:
W. von Bode, *Italian Renaissance Furniture*, trans. by Mary E. Herrick, New York, 1921
G. B. Di Crollalanza, *Dizionario Storico-blasonico delle Famiglie Nobili e Notabili Italiane Estine e Fiorenti*, Bologna, 1954
J. Burckhardt, *The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy*, New York, 2010, originally published in 1860
P. F. Brown, *Private Lives in Renaissance Venice: Art, Architecture, and the Family*, New Haven & London, 2004
M. Ajmar-Wollheim and F. Dennis, eds., *At Home in Renaissance Italy*, exhibition catalog, Victoria & Albert Museum, L
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