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Pair of marriage chests: The Morelli Chest

Jacopo da Sellaio

The Courtauld Institute of Art

The Courtauld Institute of Art
London, United Kingdom

Weddings have always been occasions for flamboyant spending. In elite Florentine society, wealthy husbands-to-be commissioned pairs of sumptuously decorated marriage chests. The Italian name for these chests is cassoni.

Traditionally, the newlyweds and the groom’s family paraded the cassoni in the streets from the bride’s family home to her new abode. Containing her dowry of linen and fine clothing, cassoni were displayed in the most important and lavishly furnished room in the palace.

This pair celebrates the marriage of a rich Florentine merchant, Lorenzo Morelli, to an aristocratic young woman, Vaggia Nerli, in 1472. Both families’ coats of arms are displayed on the corners of each chest.

These cassoni are unique in having survived as a pair with their original back panels, here displayed on the wall above. They are decorated with small scenes framed by curtains imitating richly patterned silk. A luxury import from the Islamic Mediterranean, such fabrics are also hinted at inside the painted lid — a reminder of the chests’ contents.

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  • Title: Pair of marriage chests: The Morelli Chest
  • Creator: Biagio di Antonio, Jacopo del Sellaio and Zanobi di Domenico
  • Date Created: 1472
  • Physical Dimensions: Width: spalliera panel : 162.5 cm; Height: cassone : 109.2 cm; Width: spalliera : 216 cm; Height: spalliera panel : 54.5 cm; Height: side panels : 40.5 cm; Height: front panel : 40.5 cm; Width: side panels : 35.5 cm; Width: front panel : 137 cm; Width: cassone : 193 cm; Height: spalliera : 102.8 cm; Depth: cassone : 76.2 cm.
  • Type: Chest
  • Rights: Photo Ⓒ The Courtauld
  • External Link: Find out more about the Nerli Chest
  • Medium: Egg tempera, oil paint and gold leaf on wood,
The Courtauld Institute of Art

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