Casket with plaquettes

Northern Italy, 14th - 15th Century

Casket in wood, bone, dyed bone and horn, datable between the 14th and 15th centuries and coming from Northern Italy.
Taking this information into account, together with the executive style, we can attribute the artefact to the Bottega degli Embriachi in Venice, in particular to an initial production in which it was called the "Bottega delle Figure Nailed".
The casket is in fact characterized (in addition to the refined inlays in bone, wood essences and dyed bone) by a series of small plates arranged over the entire lateral surface, affixed to the body of the work with the aid of metal nails.
They show traces of polychromy, and depict characters with female features, while at the corners we find stylized twisted columns; the lid is also inlaid, and carries nailed plates depicting winged cherubs, finally we find a metal handle on the top.

Measures: 11,5 x 8 x 6 in