This casket, covered with silver-plated iron panels and lined
with wood, was perhaps originally a wedding object. It is believed that
subsequently it was used to house the political will of Ludovico il Moro and it
is among objects collected by Luca Beltrami and donated by him to the Castello
Sforzesco, when it was decided to transform the castle into a museum. The box has Damascene decoration. On
the shorter sides there are handles and an edging, fixed with nails, made of a
metal strip decorated with geometric patterns. The decoration shows the
emblems of Ludovico il Moro and of his beloved wife Beatrice d’Este, so the
casket can be dated between 1494, date of their marriage, and 1499, the year of
Ludovico’s fall. Also
represented are the classic Sforza emblems of the lion with crest (a plumed helmet),
the buckets (wooden containers) and the caduceus
(a winged staff with two serpents).
Details