A renaissance walnut cassone
Northern Italy, mid 16th century

Length 61", height 23", depth 21"

Condition: Nearly all original, including the front feet, bottom boards, and handles. Some repairs, mainly along the edges of the top and to the base moldings. Some woodworm damage especially at the lower extremities (see photographs). Lock is 18th century. Formally with a till. Strong and sturdy.

Comparative pieces: Two similar cassones with an identical style of gradooning framing the central panel are illustrated in "Furniture and Interior Decoration of the Italian Renaissance", by Frida Schottmuller, 1921. The first is illustration #106, described as from Verona after 1500; the second is illustration #112 described as from upper Italy about 1550. Both are from the collection of what is now the Bode Museum in Berlin.