Leather Casket with Scenes of Courtly Love
Leather Casket with Scenes of Courtly Love, France, 2nd half of the 14th century c. 1350-1400
1999.211
Not on display
During the Middle Ages, small boxes like this were produced for the secular market. Used for storing personal items (combs, mirrors, scissors, seals, and jewelry), the boxes typically consisted of a wood core that might be decoratively painted and gilded or covered with another material, such as ivory or leather. These richly embellished caskets were manufactured in small, highly specialized leather workshops. The boxes were valued furnishings in the homes of the aristocratic and courtly clientele that commissioned them. On the lid of this box a couple is shown with banderoles inscribed in Old French with expressions of mutual love. "Hold my heart," requests the lady. "But you already have it," replies the man. On the front of the casket the man, holding a heart, appears again and states, "prenes encore" (Have it once more).
Images Copyright © the artist, their estate, and/or the Cleveland Museum of Art.
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