Record details

• generalData.title

  Casket

• generalData.creationDate

  Segle XV

• generalData.manufacture

  Catalonia

• technicalData.measurements

  9,5 x 17,5 x 12,5 cm

• technicalData.description

  Red leather with embossed scrollwork decoration, brass bands and lock

• technicalData.complementaryDescription

  This casket is a fine example of the artistry and functionality characteristic of such objects. The wooden structure is clad in red leather, densely adorned with vegetal scrollwork and lettering. It is reinforced with three brass bands, each embellished with quadruple floral motifs. The upper band, just above the lock, bears the inscription "AVE MARIA GRACIA," an invocation imbued with spiritual significance. Faint traces of red polychromy are still visible on the lower sections, a testament to the widespread practice in France and German territories of enhancing leather surfaces with pigments or gold, fixed with glue or glair (a mixture of egg white and vinegar), to achieve a luminous, metallic effect.
  
  Comparable caskets can be found in collections across France and Catalonia. A similar example in the Louvre Museum, with its rectangular base and trapezoidal lid, is cataloged as a 17th-century French production. Two additional examples in the Museu de l'Art de la Pell in Vic exhibit flat proportions and dimensions suitable for storing and transporting Books of Hours rather than jewelry or coins. This casket, with its compact size and richly decorated surface, may have fulfilled a comparable role. Its religious inscription and ornamental sophistication suggest that it was not merely utilitarian but also a symbol of prestige, intended to protect objects of significant spiritual or economic value.
  
  Of particular note is its distinguished provenance. The casket was once part of the collection of St. John Hornby (1867–1946), a renowned bibliophile from Herefordshire, England. Hornby, founder of the Ashendene Press, was a celebrated collector of Medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, early printed books, and illuminated works. His association with this piece reinforces its historical and artistic importance, situating it within the tradition of elite collecting practices of the early 20th century.