To Serve and Project: An Oak Coffret, 1300-1400

Coffret
England, 1300-1400
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This coffret, or casket was made to hold valuables and jewels. As such, it was as elegantly appointed as the objects it was meant to protect. During the medieval period, when many traveled for pilgrimages of various types such a casket was quite important as a means of containing what amounted to the lion’s share of a person’s important possessions. While at home, a coffret such as this one would have been proudly displayed, not only as a symbol of the household’s wealth, but also because it was attractive in its own right.


Such caskets would have been considered a suitable gift for a future bride or a couple about to be wed, and also would have been given as a gift of courtship between future bride and from. Often, the coffret was inscribed with a message of love or adorned with a scene of courtship.

For example, this coffret must have been given as a token as affection. The leather veneer is worked with a courting scene and emblazoned with love inscriptions. A lady and gentleman are depicted amongst flowers and a border of ribbons and branches. On the lid, we see a scene of knights mounted on griffins with two nudes who are holding clubs and shields. Typically such a combination of images implied that the giver of the casket meant to fight his primal desires to pursue a chaste and honorable courtship. 

The leather over the rounded oak carcase has been colored and gilt. The legend reads, “du bon du,” “mo naves,” “du bon du Coeur,” and “mon couer vous avez.” In short, that the knight meant—“with good willing”--to deliver the lady from being captured by savages and that she had his heart.

At some point, likely the 1960s, the thing was coated with shellac, which did it no favors. Still, we can imagine how brilliant it must have been when made in the 1300s. 

Her Majesty’s Furniture: A Magnificent Jewel Casket, 1750

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Click image for larger size.

Jewel Casket
Florence
1720
The Royal Collection

Made in 1720 in the Grand Ducal Workshops of Florence by Giovanni Battista Foggini, this amazing jewel casket of Ebony, rosewood, hardstones, and gilt bronze came to the Royal Collection through unknown circumstances, possibly as early as the late Eighteenth Century, but probably via Queen Mary. With its intricate mosaic and ornate ormolu, this casket was the epitome of Florentine style.

Though assigned a practical use (holding jewels), the casket is now as valuable as the objects it once held.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Click image for larger size.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Click image for larger size.

The carved gilt wood stand with cabriole legs terminating in lions' paw feet is joined near the bottom by an X-shaped stretcher with a pine-cone finial  with rocaille motifs.  It is original to the piece.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Click image for larger size.

The Home Beautiful: The Tristan and Isolde Casket, 1350-1370

Click images to enlarge.
Jewel Casket
1350-1370
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made in the Fourteenth Century, the carved figures on the lid of this jewel casket depict a scene from the fabled medieval romance of Tristan and Isolde. In the story, the adulterous lovers arrange a clandestine rendezvous at a fountain where they are spied upon by Isolde's husband, King Marke, and a dwarf who are hiding in a tree—as one does.

The sides of the casket are adorned with hunting scenes as well as depictions of a lady and a “wild man,” and a couple playing chess.

When this casket was purchased by the Museum in 1855, it had been over-painted in a dark color which obscured the original bright colors with which the figures were painted. It took twenty years to strip away the layers of dark paint to reveal the original polychrome color scheme which was, remarkably, well-preserved beneath.

Such a jewel casket, in the Fourteenth Century, would have been presented to a bride as a wedding gift. They often were emblazoned with scenes of courting and affection. This one, with its cautionary tale of adultery, is quite unusual.

Gifts of Grandeur: The Grand Duchess Olga Gold Casket, 1800-1850

Gilt Bronze and Micromosaic Jewel Casket
St. Petersburg, 1800-1850
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Collection

Tsar Paul I (reigned 1796-1801) built Gatchina Priory, south of St. Petersburg, commissioning the monumental structure in the Gothic style which he favored. This jewel casket exhibits a similar style. It’s believed that the casket (made either in Rome or St. Petersburg) was created for the Grand Duchess Olga (1822-92), the daughter of Tsar Nicholas I.

The casket is constructed of gilt bronze with relief friezes of intricate archways, each interrupted by a central oval. Many of the oval medallions have been inset with micromosaics of putti in the act of play. The jewel case’s top section is adorned with a relief of arcs, arches and fleurs-de-lis set against foliage. At the center of the lid, a rectangular mosaic has been set. This intricate scene depicts the Gatchina Priory nestled into a lush landscape.

Made between 1800 and 1850, the casket is thought to be the work of Georgi Ferdinand Wekler, considered one of the foremost mosaicists of his day. The box is now part of the Gilbert Collection at the V&A.

The Home Beautiful: The Tristan and Isolde Casket, 1350-1370

Click images to enlarge.
Jewel Casket
1350-1370
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made in the Fourteenth Century, the carved figures on the lid of this jewel casket depict a scene from the fabled medieval romance of Tristan and Isolde. In the story, the adulterous lovers arrange a clandestine rendezvous at a fountain where they are spied upon by Isolde's husband, King Marke, and a dwarf who are hiding in a tree—as one does.

The sides of the casket are adorned with hunting scenes as well as depictions of a lady and a “wild man,” and a couple playing chess.

When this casket was purchased by the Museum in 1855, it had been over-painted in a dark color which obscured the original bright colors with which the figures were painted. It took twenty years to strip away the layers of dark paint to reveal the original polychrome color scheme which was, remarkably, well-preserved beneath.

Such a jewel casket, in the Fourteenth Century, would have been presented to a bride as a wedding gift. They often were emblazoned with scenes of courting and affection. This one, with its cautionary tale of adultery, is quite unusual.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: The Grand Duchess Olga Gold Casket, 1800-1850

Gilt Bronze and Micromosaic Jewel Casket
St. Petersburg, 1800-1850
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Collection

Tsar Paul I (reigned 1796-1801) built Gatchina Priory, south of St. Petersburg, commissioning the monumental structure in the Gothic style which he favored. This jewel casket exhibits a similar style. It’s believed that the casket (made either in Rome or St. Petersburg) was created for the Grand Duchess Olga (1822-92), the daughter of Tsar Nicholas I.

The casket is constructed of gilt bronze with relief friezes of intricate archways, each interrupted by a central oval. Many of the oval medallions have been inset with micromosaics of putti in the act of play. The jewel case’s top section is adorned with a relief of arcs, arches and fleurs-de-lis set against foliage. At the center of the lid, a rectangular mosaic has been set. This intricate scene depicts the Gatchina Priory nestled into a lush landscape.

Made between 1800 and 1850, the casket is thought to be the work of Georgi Ferdinand Wekler, considered one of the foremost mosaicists of his day. The box is now part of the Gilbert Collection at the V&A.

The Home Beautiful: The Faerie Queen Casket, 1906

The Victoria & Albert Museum

This hexagonal casket (in this sense, a decorative box) with a hinged lid is crafted in silver and adorned with enamel plaques with subjects from the “The Faerie Queen.” Further decoration comes in the form of armorial bearings in enamel, seed pearls, small opals and silver gilt wire. The base is inscribed “The Faerie Queen.” An emerald adorns the silver knob used to open the casket.

A case set into the inside is covered in parchment and adorned with colorful, stylized foliate decoration. The front of the case bears a silver plaque with repoussé decoration depicting a crowned lion with the British national emblems of a rose, shamrock and thistle. This lovely little box was made in Birmingham between 1906-7.

The illustrated scenes on the enamel plaques are from Edmund Spenser's “The Faerie Queene” which was written in 1590. This prize was designed by the Head of the Newcastle Guild and made by its members whose named are all inscribed on its base. It was made for presentation to Queen Alexandra when Edward VII opened the King's Hall of Armstrong College (University of Durham).

The Home Beautiful: An Oak Coffret, 1300-1400

Coffret
England, 1300-1400
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This coffret, or casket was made to hold valuables and jewels. As such, it was as elegantly appointed as the objects it was meant to protect. During the medieval period, when many traveled for pilgrimages of various types such a casket was quite important as a means of containing what amounted to the lion’s share of a person’s important possessions. While at home, a coffret such as this one would have been proudly displayed, not only as a symbol of the household’s wealth, but also because it was attractive in its own right.


Such caskets would have been considered a suitable gift for a future bride or a couple about to be wed, and also would have been given as a gift of courtship between future bride and from. Often, the coffret was inscribed with a message of love or adorned with a scene of courtship.

For example, this coffret must have been given as a token as affection. The leather veneer is worked with a courting scene and emblazoned with love inscriptions. A lady and gentleman are depicted amongst flowers and a border of ribbons and branches. On the lid, we see a scene of knights mounted on griffins with two nudes who are holding clubs and shields. Typically such a combination of images implied that the giver of the casket meant to fight his primal desires to pursue a chaste and honorable courtship. 

The leather over the rounded oak carcase has been colored and gilt. The legend reads, “du bon du,” “mo naves,” “du bon du Coeur,” and “mon couer vous avez.” In short, that the knight meant—“with good willing”--to deliver the lady from being captured by savages and that she had his heart.

At some point, likely the 1960s, the thing was coated with shellac, which did it no favors. Still, we can imagine how brilliant it must have been when made in the 1300s. 

The Home Beautiful: The Tristan and Isolde Casket, 1350-1370

Click images to enlarge.
Jewel Casket
1350-1370
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made in the Fourteenth Century, the carved figures on the lid of this jewel casket depict a scene from the fabled medieval romance of Tristan and Isolde. In the story, the adulterous lovers arrange a clandestine rendezvous at a fountain where they are spied upon by Isolde's husband, King Marke, and a dwarf who are hiding in a tree—as one does.

The sides of the casket are adorned with hunting scenes as well as depictions of a lady and a “wild man,” and a couple playing chess.

When this casket was purchased by the Museum in 1855, it had been over-painted in a dark color which obscured the original bright colors with which the figures were painted. It took twenty years to strip away the layers of dark paint to reveal the original polychrome color scheme which was, remarkably, well-preserved beneath.

Such a jewel casket, in the Fourteenth Century, would have been presented to a bride as a wedding gift. They often were emblazoned with scenes of courting and affection. This one, with its cautionary tale of adultery, is quite unusual.