Cassone

Artist Unknown

Date1575-1626

Place of OriginItaly

MediumWalnut, fruitwood Inlay, line-drawn ornament

DimensionsOverall: 23 1/4 x 51 1/2 x 20 in. (59.1 x 130.8 x 50.8 cm)

ClassificationsFurniture

Credit LineBequest of Charlotte Pruyn Hyde

Object number1971.128

On View

On view

Collections

Decorative Arts

DescriptionItalian Renaissance Marquetry Inlaid Walnut Cassone. The rectangular hinged top above a frieze with inlaid eagle and geometric strap work; the case with three primary arch panels and four subsidiary arch panels inlaid with flower-filled urns and eagles having thumb-press molded stiles between. The base with etched panels of a townscape, fruit-filled baskets and foliage, on bun feet, the sides with arch panels. Rear brackets to feet replaced, bun feet replaced, wedge section on base replaced.

The chest is dovetailed, visible only at the back because the thumb-press moldings cover the forecorners. The lower band of etched ornament is below the level of the bottom of the chest and breaks in the lower molding may indicate that this was originally a drawer face. A large splice in the bottom of the chest may be the result of rot and/or bug damage and if there was a drawer below it, it would also have been subject to the same damage and very likely even more severe. It is possible that a restorer determined to save the ornamental aspect of the drawer but not the actual drawer body.Exhibition History“Decorating in Style: Furniture from the Permanent Collection, Wood Gallery, The Hyde Collection, Glens Falls, New York, Jan. 27 – April 21, 2024.ProvenanceJules Michel (dealer), Paris, France from whom purchased by Maurice Hoopes, July 29, 1913; Maurice Hoopes, Glens Falls, NY, 1913; Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Louis F. Hyde, Glens Falls, NY; by bequest to The Hyde Collection, 1952.