M.G.L. 727

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 19; Larghezza: 19,6; Profondità: 13,2

osso, legno, avorio

The casket belonged to Augusto Luxoro since the 19th century. It is mentioned in the catalogue of the 1868 Artistic, Archaeological and Industrial Exhibition as belonging to Dr Luxoro. The casket is part of a vast and varied collection that was previously attributed to the workshop of Baldassarre degli Ubriachi (or Embriachi). Recent criticism has scaled back the catalogue of works actually attributable to Baldassarre's workshop, hypothesising the presence of other active workshops in northern Italy between the second half of the 14th century and the first half of the following century, which produced sacred furnishings (especially altar triptychs) and a large number of caskets that differed greatly from one another, not only in shape and size, but also in the style of the bas-reliefs and their dating. The example in the Luxoro collection, which can be dated to the late 14th century, as revealed by the figurative language still typical of the 14th century and the details of the characters' clothing, can be compared to a small group of similar caskets, which are part of a less accurate type of serial production. The object consists of 16 bas-relief carved bone plates fixed to a rectangular wooden structure, topped by a pyramid-shaped lid with a metal handle, decorated with geometric motifs, in the ‘Carthusian’ style, inlaid in wood and ivory. Traces of gilding can be seen on some of the plates on the side opposite the lock. The subjects depicted include four cherubs holding shields in an angular position, while a series of male and female figures, in pairs or alone, stand out on the other plates.