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RARE JAMES I NEEDLEWORK CASKET, FIRST QUARTER 17TH CENTURY
Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 USD
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Description
- mirror glass, wood, silk, linen, wool, metal, and paper
- Height 8 1/2 in. by Width 9 in. by Depth 6 in.
Depicting Adam and Eve, allegories of the Five Senses on the sides, allegories of Hope and Charity with a saint holding the Tau Cross and a crippled man symbolizing Faith on the interior of lid, crest to the interior drawers, paper label inside inscribed Lord Plender/ 31 Kensington Court/ W. 8, worked in satin, couching and other stitches to exterior, worked in tent, chain, outline and other stitches to interior.
Provenance
Evelyn family, Wotton, Sussex;
Thence by descent;
Christie's, South Kensington, Textiles, Embroidery, Costume and Fans, The Properties of the Evelyn Family Trusts and others, May 5, 1979;
Simon Redburn, New York.
Thence by descent;
Christie's, South Kensington, Textiles, Embroidery, Costume and Fans, The Properties of the Evelyn Family Trusts and others, May 5, 1979;
Simon Redburn, New York.
Condition
Metallic thread is generally intact but has tarnished. Losses to silk thread throughout the exterior. Dark browns have oxidized to expose foundation beneath. Trim with some losses. Spot stains to foundation. Trim to bottom appears later. Silk needlework to interior with some spot stains, tears to silk foundation and some small losses to stitching but generally in very good condition. Needlework to interior of lid also in very good condition with vivid colors. Mirror with some crystallization and losses to silvering. Fabric to interior drawers and compartments with spot stains and small tears.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
This casket might have been created to commemorate the marriage between Eleanor Stansfield (1598-1635) and Richard Evelyn (1579-1646), which took place around 1613 as the crest to the interior displays both their arms. The sinister displays the three goats of Stansfield, while the dexter displays the griffin passant of Evelyn quartered with the nine martlets of Alice Ailard, Robert's great-grandmother. Their son, John Evelyn (1620-1706) was a famous diarist, gardener, and writer.
The five senses depicted on the sides of the casket are typical of the seventeenth century. The female personifications with their respective attributes and animal counterparts seem to partially derive from the popular prints by Cornelis Cort after designs by Frans Floris done in 1561. Those prints established the basic iconography for each of the senses. Another casket with similar iconographic antecedents is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum, illustrated in Andrew Morrall and Melinda Watts, eds., English Embroidery from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1580-1700, (New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2008), cat. 52.
The five senses depicted on the sides of the casket are typical of the seventeenth century. The female personifications with their respective attributes and animal counterparts seem to partially derive from the popular prints by Cornelis Cort after designs by Frans Floris done in 1561. Those prints established the basic iconography for each of the senses. Another casket with similar iconographic antecedents is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum, illustrated in Andrew Morrall and Melinda Watts, eds., English Embroidery from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1580-1700, (New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2008), cat. 52.