16th C. Venetian Cedar Casket With Secrets

This vaulted lid is decorated with a pyrographed decoration and enhanced with ink. In frontage it presents a scene of hunting where a knight pursues a stag on a bottom of castle. The sides are decorated with allegorical scenes with an oriental influence. The lid is decorated with a latticework enriched with flowers in the center of each spider. The inside of the lid shows a courtly scene. The inside of the trunk is composed of several compartments including a secret. These compartments are hidden by four plates including the middle one decorated with angels musicians under the arcades. Once this lid removed, we discover a space adorned with three other plates whose lower parts cut out are the facades of small drawers that we draw with round pull buttons. The large wafer slips up to reveal a secret space that it protects. Elegant and fun, our trunk seduces not only by its refined decor, but also by its complex system of hidden compartments. True object worthy of a collector aware, it is also a wonderful testimony of the know-how and the ingenuity of the artists under the Renaissance.
Period 16th century, region of Venice
Very nice condition, lock replaced later
Dimensions: h. 28 cm, l. 43 cm, p. 24 cm