Cassone - a beautiful bridal in the Middle Ages and Renaissance!
Cassone from Florence or Siena in the 14th Century
Made from poplar, this cassone is covered with canvas.
It is painted red and blue and decorated with tin leaf and gesso figures.
Iron bands reinforce its sturdiness.
Today, I was researching 13th century Italian weddings and I came across the tradition of providing the bride with a cassone.
Italian Florentine Cassone
A cassone is a medieval or renaissance marriage chest given to the bride by her parents on her wedding day. These chests were so important, they were often adorned, gilded, carved, or decorated illustriously images of the bride, the family, or some other important event pertaining to them. After the wedding, these beautiful, ornate trunks were usually moved to the bridal chamber and became a special place for the bride to store all her most personal belongings or treasures. The practice is still somewhat in use today, with parents filling the trunk with precious linens and keepsakes.
_01.jpg)
This chest was also made in Florence and depicts a famous battle.
It is made of cedar and is decorated with gold leaf and oil on wood paintings
Not only were the cassoni beautiful to look at, they were practical for storage or even could be used as furniture. Because cassoni were often so large and heavy, it could be used as a table or a place upon which to sit when set against a wall. More often than not, however, they were usually found at the foot of a bed.
15th Century Cassone
Birth of Venus
How beautiful. When I win the lottery, I'll definitely become an avid collector. What a treasure for a new bride to take with her into her new life.
5 comments:
Hello! I love your site. Do you think you can have the subscription by email enabled?
you do come across some interesting information in the course of your research, thanks for sharing with us.
I'm working on a blog post for tomorrow (3/7) about writing historical fiction and came across your site. Great photos--these chests are beautiful. Have you come across information about what types of things went into a cassone?
In the brief research I did, there was nothing specific to identify exactly what went into these chests. Judging by the fact they were given to the bride by her family and that they usually resided at the foot of the marital bed, I think the women would store their most personal treasures in it - i.e. jewelery, blankets, linens, etc. They certainly are beautiful...
Thanks, Mirella.
Post a Comment