An Italian gilt-bronze-and pietre dure-mounted ebony casket, Florentine, Grand Ducal Workshop last quarter 17th century

the top divided into geometric reserves with gilt-bronze ripple-cut mouldings applied with fruit in hardstones, amethyst and inlaid with ribbons and mounted with gilt-bronze leaves, the escutcheon above a gilt-bronze-mount with a profile medallion cast with scrolls and stylised scallopshells, with similarly decorated sides, on toupie feet

Colour slightly darker overall and gilding more golden and attractive than in the catalogue photograph. Minor surface dirt which would benefit from a light clean according to taste. The section of gilt-bronze ripple-cut border missing from the front panel on the right side which can easily be replaced. A couple of very minor sections of the gilt-bronze core is missing from a piece of fruit on the right side but this is hardly noticeable. There is a hardstone flowerhead missing on the back panel and the gilt-metal banding is plain and it is possible that the ripple-cut moulding in gilt-bronze has been replaced. The internal lock on the inside of the top is off but present and can easily be refixed. There is a hairline horizontal crack on the inside of the top which can either be filled or left as it is not visible externally. In overall good conserved condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Comparative Literature:
Alvar González-Palacios, Il Tempio del Gusto, Vol. II,  Milan, 1986, p.58, fig. 68.
G. Sarti, Fastueux Objets en Marbre et Pierres Dures, Catalogue no. 7-2006, Paris, no. 13, pp. 134-135.

This casket is a fine example of the caskets mounted in pietre dure produced by the Grand Ducal Workshop in Florence in the last quarter of the 17th and early years of the 18th century.

Different Florentine craftsmen executed these caskets and records exist of the weekly payments made to various artisans who completed the panels (flat or in relief) which were assigned to them in a few weeks. The bronzes were also cast in the Galleria and then they went through the gilding process. Finally, the ebanista mounted the pietre dure panels and ornaments onto the carcass which was usually veneered in ebony.

This casket is reminiscent in style and very closely related to a casket, dating to the last quarter of the 17th century, with its identical gilt-bronze ripple-cut geometric reserves and the treatment of the fruit, in the Museo di Capodimonte, Naples, reproduced here in  fig.1. The decoration of the fruit especially on the top of the casket is very realistic.

The application of the gilt-bronze leaves is a rare feature as normally the foliage is inlaid in hardstones and can be seen on a related pietre dure casket from the Grand Ducal Workshops, now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, see A.G.P. op. cit., p. 58, fig. 68.

Another related casket with the rare feature of the leaves depicted in gilt-bronze is illustrated, Sarti, op. cit., no. 13, p. 135.