Box with cover

Art Historical Context

This delicate "Box with Cover," crafted in the 15th, exemplifies the exquisite metalwork traditions of the era. Made of brass inlaid with silver and possibly niello—a technique that creates striking black contrasts against polished metal—the box measures just 3 × 4½ inches, suggesting it was a luxurious personal item, perhaps for storing jewelry, spices, or documents. Its petite scale and fine detailing highlight the artisan's skill in manipulating small surfaces to achieve intricate designs. Though attributed to an unknown artist and classified within the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Europea...