Marriage Chest (Cassone)
Unknown Artist
early 1500s
Medium
walnut with traces of gilding
Dimensions
62.2 × 172 × 55.9 cm
Classification
Furniture and woodwork
Department
Decorative Art and Design
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Bequest of John L. Severance
Accession Number
1942.609
About this artwork
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 wea...