Cassone (wedding chest) with Biblical Scenes

(probably Roman Workshop)
c. 1550,
carved walnut with gilt embellishment
Samuel H. Kress Foundation

Renaissance houses did not have closets. Instead cassone (or chests) were used to hold household goods, clothes and linens. Often pairs of cassone were given as part of a bride’s dowry. They were often decorated with biblical or mythological scenes promoting love (or obedience). Here the groom’s family coat of arms is in the center flanked by scenes from Genesis (14:20-24) that refer to personal goods. The end figures represent Faith and Hope.