The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of March 28, 2024
Marriage Chest (Cassone)
early 1500s
Overall: 62.2 x 172 x 55.9 cm (24 1/2 x 67 11/16 x 22 in.)
Bequest of John L. Severance 1942.609
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.orgCatalogue 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