13/08/2026
Look closely. This chest is hiding an entire Renaissance world.
Dating to c.1550–1600, this extraordinary Italian cassone is made from aromatic cypress and traditionally associated with the Alto Adige, although this distinctive group of chests also has fascinating connections with Venice and its Renaissance world of trade, printmaking and decorative arts.
Its astonishingly intricate surface was created using pen-and-ink drawing, shallow intaglio carving and thousands of tiny punched marks. Much of the original line work still survives — and the closer you look, the more you find.
A lion drawing an elaborate chariot. Trumpeters. Horsemen. Winged putti. Mermen. A lyre player. Serpents, dogs, hares, a tiny snail and fantastical creatures.
The lion is particularly wonderful — a powerful emblem in Renaissance Italy, associated with strength and authority. The Medici famously even kept living lions in Florence.
And then there is the lid. It appears to have been reversed during its later history, bringing the richly decorated face that would originally have been revealed when the cassone was opened permanently into view.
By the 19th century it had travelled from Renaissance Italy to Broom Hall, Gwynedd, North Wales, where it formed part of the house’s furnishings.
Almost 500 years old, and we’re still discovering what’s hidden within its decoration.
Italian Renaissance Cypress Cassone, c.1550–1600.
Now available.
