Rare rectangular wooden box with a doucine,... - Lot 128 - Coutau-Bégarie

Lot 128
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Estimation :
10000 - 15000 EUR
Result with fees
Result : 13 910EUR
Rare rectangular wooden box with a doucine,... - Lot 128 - Coutau-Bégarie
Rare rectangular wooden box with a doucine, lacquered in gold, red and green on a black background, enclosing oval, rectangular and concave cut crystal plates, the bottom of the box lined with cut mirrors Venetian work from the end of the 16th - beginning of the 17th century L.: 42,5 cm, W.: 34 cm, D.: 24 cm (small accidents and damages) This rare box was made in Venice in the twilight of the 16th century. Only a few examples of these chests are known, one model is in the Metropolitan Museum, another in the Saint Louis Art Museum. This work synthesizes the oriental influences that made the intellectual and artistic wealth of Venice in the 16th century, at the crossroads of exchange of ideas. The influence of Islamic art can be seen in the treatment of gold scrolls on a black background, unfolding a network of open flowers and leaves derived from Ottoman motifs. This is a simpler version of the rock-crystal plate chests. The use of rock-crystal plates of great purity and perfect transparency, probably from the quarries of the St. Gotthard in the Italian Swiss Alps, gives these objects a special prestige that is typical of princely collections. It is known that these chests were sent as diplomatic gifts by the popes to the male heirs of the great reigning Catholic houses, which constitutes a singularly lavish offering, and explains the fact that only half a dozen pieces remain today.
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