The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 28, 2024

Marriage Chest (Cassone)

Marriage Chest (Cassone)

early 1500s
Overall: 62.2 x 172 x 55.9 cm (24 1/2 x 67 11/16 x 22 in.)
Location: not on view

Description

Large storage chests resembling ancient Roman burial vaults-a popular collectible among wealthy families during the Renaissance-were often associated with an important marriage and contained the wife’s dowry of clothes and precious objects. This particular example displays the arms of the Spada Family of Rome amidst a richly carved façade on a gilded ground. Sometimes cassoni were carried in the marital procession from the bride’s home to that of her future husband, emphasizing the power and wealth of both families.
  • John L. Severance.
  • John Long Severance Art Collection Photographs: Furniture, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. Mentioned: p. 221; Reproduced: p. 223 archive.org
    Catalogue of the John L. Severance Collection: Bequest of John L. Severance, 1936. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1942. Mentioned: p. 35, cat. no. 44 archive.org
  • Exhibition of the John L. Severance Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (November 12, 1942-March 14, 1943).
  • {{cite web|title=Marriage Chest (Cassone)|url=false|author=|year=early 1500s|access-date=28 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1942.609