Tuscan casket, 16th century

Painted and gilded wood, decorations with stylized lilies and vegetal motifs. Dimensions: 22 x 12.5 x 12 cm Rare Tuscan Renaissance casket (16th century), in painted and gilded wood. The artifact features a barrel-shaped lid and a refined gold decoration on a dark background: phytomorphic motifs and stylized lilies, attributable to the Florentine taste of the time. The symbolism of the lily of Florence, reinterpreted in an ornamental key, reinforces its attribution to the Florentine rather than the Sienese context. The interior is lined with a polychrome marbled paper, probably a seventeenth or eighteenth-century replacement, which testifies to the continued use of the object. Intended to hold small precious objects or jewelry, this casket belongs to the same tradition as the workshops that created the famous Florentine wedding chests, with which it shares the decorative richness and civic symbolism. The gilding, despite natural signs of wear, still retains a remarkable chromatic vivacity that highlights the elegance of the ornamental composition. Notes: - Period: 16th century - Provenance: Tuscany, Florentine area - Technique: painted and gilded wood, gilding on bole - Decoration: phytomorphic motifs and stylized Florentine lily - Dimensions: 22 x 12.5 x 12 cm