Richly Carved Nuptial Chest, Tuscan Manufacture, 16th Century.

The chest presented here represents a splendid example of Renaissance decoration. The work, made of walnut, in its style and details refers to the Tuscan tradition of the 16th century. The front’s carved decoration is highly complex and elaborate, featuring two winged sirens that transform into scrolls, interwoven with floral motifs and birds in low relief. The two fantastic figures support a large noble coat of arms, wrapped in a scroll and surmounted by a crown. At its center, a rampant bull facing left holds a crossbow. This is a so-called “speaking” coat of arms, meaning that it contains a figure or symbol alluding to the name of the armiger. In this case, the crossbow has led to the identification of the Balestri family, of Bolognese nobility, whose coat of arms is reproduced below.

The upper part, shaped like an urn with three tiers of carving, is also richly finished with palmettes and flowers from which a radiating decoration unfolds. The sides of the object are likewise adorned with palmette motifs. Two pilasters with vegetal decoration terminate in the front feet, carved in the round in the form of crouching lions. In the lower register, an intricate gadrooned carving runs along the front and sides. The beautiful patina and remarkable state of preservation make it a true museum piece.
At the Louvre in Paris, there is a nuptial chest of the same manufacture. The object, larger in size, features the same front decoration with fantastic figures transforming into scrolls, as well as a similar lid and gadrooning on the lower register. These stylistic elements, very close to those of the chest under examination, suggest that the two objects originated from the same workshop or were, in any case, the result of two contemporary manufactories.