Design for a Cassone (Recto), Design for a Tomb (Verso)

Anonymous, Italian, 16th century

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

From the 14th to the 16th century the cassone played an important role in the Italian household. It was the main furniture piece to provide storage, but was also used as a seat or several could be pushed together to form a makeshift bed. It is probably this central role in the household which was the reason why cassoni were often given as wedding gift. The shape and decoration of the cassoni varied. The earlier examples were often painted, sometimes combined with some carved or molded decorations. During the 16th century the cassoni were most often carved and took their inspiration from antique sarcophagi. Typical elements which are incorporated in this design are the lion’s feet and the continuous frieze decorating the front of the cassone. Most cassoni also have room for a crest in the center, identifying for which family or household the cassone was made.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.

Metropolitan Museum of Art