Lot 657 | Nuremberg | IRON MUSEUM RENAISSANCE CASKET

IRON MUSEUM RENAISSANCE CASKET.

Nuremberg.
Date: 1520-1540.
Technique: Iron, forged, engraved and etched.
Description: Rectangular body on four bun feet with riveted bands along the edges. These are decorated
with etched floral tendrils. The sides feature a decor of cut-out ornamental tendrils and
leaves, also riveted. The underside features an etched decor with large birds among the
tendrils. On the front, a large dummy lock and lock hinge for a padlock are located in the
centre. In the fields on the sides, there is a relief head of a man with a pointed beard
and a woman's head respectively. The side hinge handles also feature finely cut figurative
decor. On the top, under a cover, is the actual lock. On the inside of the lid is the
elaborately etched lock with 21 latches. The central chamber and the surrounding mechanism
are decorated with ornamental etched and gilded foliage. Inside, on the narrow sides of
the box, are two small compartments with hinged lids. Their tops again feature masterfully
etched decor, in this case with large birds. On the inside, there are locks with similar
decor to that of the large lock, each with six latches. A holster key with two bird heads
for the lid lock and a small key for the two small compartments inside the casket.
Measurement: 24.5x44.5x23cm.

Provenance:
- Sotheby's London auction, 9th March 1956, lot 33. According to the auction catalogue, previously in the collection of the Duke of Norfolk and the Francis Harper Collection.
- Alan Harper Gow Collection. Auctioned 10th September 1991, Holloways Auctioneers Banbury.
- Private collection, North Rhine-Westphalia. On loan to the German Castle and Fittings Museum in Velbert from 2011 to 2025.

A comparably finely etched chest in the Charles Boucaud collection, Fraysse & Associés auction, 8th February 2011, lot 216.