Northern Italian, probably Venice, circa 1410-1430

Sotheby's London, 9 December 2005, lot 8 (there with a Romanesque fragment that has since been removed)

The casket was restored at a later date and is composed of several assembled elements. Overall the condition of the object is good, with some wear and dirt to the surface consistent with age. There appear to be later wood additions, notably the top and bottom edges of the body of the casket and the feet. At least six of the bone panels at the short sides are probably associated from similar objects. The two panels at the back are also associated; these may be ivory or walrus ivory (see catalogue note). There are a few losses to the wood and to the intarsia decoration on the lid, notably a larger loss to the lower edge at the back, and to the front right corner, and losses to the horn inlay at the bottom of the top section. There is wear to the bone panels, including some dirt in the crevices, rubbing, and some discolouration. There is some stable splitting to the panels with angels on the lid. One of these panels has separately carved sections. There is a loss to one of the angels' proper right arm. There is veining to the bone in several panels, and minor weathering to two of the panels at the front of the body of the casket. There is a loss to one of the associated panels on the left side and some fill to the back of another. One of the panels on the other side is applied in sections. The joints of the bone panels on the lid are slightly open but stable. There are a few chips to the corners of the ivory panels at the back. There is wear to the paper lining of the casket throughout. The hinge on the right is slightly loose but stable. There is minor evidence of past worming to the wood on the underside.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The fabled workshop of Baldassare Ubriachi (so-called Embriachi) flourished in Venice around 1400, inspiring other workshops to create the sought-after objects decorated with carved bone panels and inlaid with intarsia. Caskets such as the present example were typically conceived to mark a betrothal, and often the couple's coats of arms were painted on escutcheons among the decorative scheme. The present casket follows a design that was widely produced in the early decades of the fifteenth century. Similar pairs of figures (instead of a narrative) in the panel frieze are seen in a casket at the Victoria and Albert Museum (inv. no. A.22-1952). While the lid and front panels seem to be largely original, it appears that they were reassembled on a fresh wood core during restoration works, when panels that probably come from other Embriachi objects were added to fill the two short sides. The back of the casket is decorated with two ivory panels with tracery and concentric circles that appear Carolingian in style, but are more likely to be the work of the Russian school of Kholmogory that flourished in the 18th and 19th centuries. 

RELATED LITERATURE
P. Williamson and G. Davies, Medieval Ivory Carvings. 1200-1550. Part II, cat. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2014, pp. 845-847 and pp. 848-849