SOUTHERN NETHERLANDISH, SECOND HALF 15TH CENTURY | Games Box with Courtly Scenes

Overall the condition of the box is very good, with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There is some rubbing to the bone engraving at the top of the lid. The bone has been carved in section, and joints are visible throughout, including some slightly open but stable joints at the front right corner, and to the back just below the lid. There is veining to the bone throughout, consistent with the material. There is some slight warping to the underside of the box. There are a few small losses and minor chips to the edges and corners of the bone banels, including a small loss to the back right corner. The lock plate is slightly too small and the wood core is visible along its edges: it has possibly been replaced.
"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."

This charming games box is a fine example of a distinct group of small bone caskets displaying secular motifs in low relief against hatched backgrounds and intarsia checkerboards to the underside. Today's scholarly consensus argues that these caskets were produced by workshops in the southern Netherlands. Their preferred motifs – scenes of courtship and hunting – indicate a possible function within marriage negotiations. While it is traditionally thought that these caskets were in fact used to store gaming pieces and to play on, this use has been called into question, and the checkerboard should perhaps be seen as symbolic in most cases. Depicting musicians, animals, and the 'fountain of love', the present casket compares both iconographically and stylistically to numerous examples held in public collections, such as two caskets in the V&A (inv. nos. 4660-1859 and 6747-1860) and one at the musée du Louvre (inv. no. MRR 80). For the motif of a tree in a basket on the lid, see a casket in the Metropolitan Museum (inv. no. 54.135).

RELATED LITERATURE
D. Gaborit-Chopin (ed.), Ivoires médiévaux, Ve-XVe siècle, cat. Musée du Louvre, Paris, 2003, pp. 528-530; P. Williamson and G. Davies, Medieval Ivory Carvings: 1200-1550, cat. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2014, Part II, pp. 654-655, 677-685