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Source Description
Large storage chests resembling ancient Roman burial vaults-a popular collectible among wealthy families during the Renaissance-were often associated with an important marriage and contained the wife’s dowry of clothes and precious objects. This particular example displays the arms of the Spada Family of Rome amidst a richly carved façade on a gilded ground. Sometimes cassoni were carried in the marital procession from the bride’s home to that of her future husband, emphasizing the power and wealth of both families.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
122302
label
Marriage Chest (Cassone)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
122302
contentType
object
title
Marriage Chest (Cassone)
description
Large storage chests resembling ancient Roman burial vaults-a popular collectible among wealthy families during the Renaissance-were often associated with an important marriage and contained the wife’s dowry of clothes and precious objects. This particular example displays the arms of the Spada Family of Rome amidst a richly carved façade on a gilded ground. Sometimes cassoni were carried in the marital procession from the bride’s home to that of her future husband, emphasizing the power and wealth of both families.
date
early 1500s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60752585
genreSpecific
Furniture and woodwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 62.2 x 172 x 55.9 cm (24 1/2 x 67 11/16 x 22 in.)
cul
Italy, early 16th century
accession
1942.609
Source extras
tec
walnut with traces of gilding
tombstone
Marriage Chest (Cassone), early 1500s. Italy, early 16th century. Walnut with traces of gilding; overall: 62.2 x 172 x 55.9 cm (24 1/2 x 67 11/16 x 22 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of John L. Severance, 1942.609
collection
Decorative Arts
citations
citation
John Long Severance Art Collection Photographs: Furniture, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 221; Reproduced: p. 223
citation
<em>Catalogue of the John L. Severance Collection: Bequest of John L. Severance, 1936.</em> [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1942.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 35, cat. no. 44
citation
Milliken, William M., Gertrude Underhill, and Jean Mailey. "Department of Decorative Arts." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 29, no. 9 (November 1942): 137-151.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 140-141
creditline
Bequest of John L. Severance
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:17:48.072000
sourceId
122302
dept
Decorative Art and Design
coll
Decorative Arts
med
walnut with traces of gilding
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
2750b9c89a283110