Decorative arts

Cassone

1 of 5

Type: Decorative arts(Opens in new tab)
Date: mid-16th century with later additions
Accession number: 27.166
Maker: Bartolommeo Neroni(Opens in new tab) (Italian, 1500–1571)
Medium: walnut
Description: This marriage chest is richly decorated with a coat of arms at center and with panels of allegorical subjects, masks, and swags.
Credit: The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. The Arabella D. Huntington Memorial Art Collection.
Department: European Art
Find out more: View in the Art Museum catalog(Opens in new tab)

Label text

The carved decoration on this and the chest next to it (27.165) comprises panels of mythological scenes set within a variety of motifs taken from ancient art, including masks, swags of fruit, palmettes, and scrolls. These Italian chests were popular among American collectors at the beginning of the twentieth century, and at the behest of dealers seeking to satisfy the market, such chests were often constructed from both old and new pieces.