On view
European Art
Marriage Casket: Scenes of lovers,
ca. 1390
Follower of the Embriachi Workshop, Italian, 14th–15th century
y1955-3261
When disrupted trade routes made ivory scarce in Europe in the late fourteenth century, artists experimented with other materials to meet the high demand for objects carved from the precious material. In this marriage casket, animal bone and horn are paired with intricate inlaid woodwork to emulate the aesthetic effects of more luxurious ivory caskets. The lower cost of bone and horn compared to ivory made courtship gifts attainable for a broader clientele.
Information
Title
Marriage Casket: Scenes of lovers
Dates
ca. 1390
Maker
Follower of the Embriachi Workshop
Medium
Bone, cow horn, and wood intarsia
Dimensions
15.5 x 21 x 12.5 cm (6 1/8 x 8 1/4 x 4 15/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Edith Holt Bloodgood
Object Number
y1955-3261
Place Made
Europe, Italy, Venice or Florence
Culture
Mrs. Edith Holt Bloodgood (1876-1961); 1955 gift to Princeton University Art Museum.
- "Recent acquisitions," Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University 15, no. 1 (1956): p. 26-27., p. 27
- Archer St. Clair, Elizabeth Parker McLachlan, The carver's art, Medieval sculpture in ivory, bone, and horn, (New Brunswick: Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers University, 1989)., cat. no. 76
- Richard Randall, The golden age of ivory: Gothic carvings in North American collections, (New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1993)., p. 46-47;p. 46 (illus.); no. 28
