Art Institute of Chicago
Casket
Italian; SicilyLinkedCulture matchlcp-2f04c3fd5134
- Date
- 12th century
- Medium
- Ivory, brass, tempera, and gold leaf
- Culture
- Sicily
- Department
- Applied Arts of Europe
- Institution
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Object ID
- 28454
From the Art Institute of Chicago record
This type of ornately painted ivory casket survived in relatively large numbers in church treasuries. Judging from their Arabic inscriptions, which contain wishes for happiness, blessings, or glory, it is likely that many of them were originally intended for secular use as wedding gifts or jewelry boxes. However, they were often later used as reliquaries. Here traces of an inscription on the front rim and cover read, "May glory endure". This box was probably made on the island of Sicily, an important crossroads of Mediterranean trade.
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Provenance & credit
As published by the source institution. Coverage varies — not every institution's open-data feed includes ownership history.
- Credit line
- Samuel P. Avery Endowment
- Provenance
- Achillito Chiesa, Milan, by 1926 (his sale, New York, American Art Association, April 16-17, 1926, no. 368); purchased by the Art Institute, 1926.
Linked open data
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- Object type
- AAT300411641
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