Lot 232A
**Originally Listed At $1800**
Western Europe, northern Italy, Florence or Venice, probably the workshop of the Embriachi, late Middle Ages to early Renaissance period, early Quattrocento, ca. 1390 to 1435 CE. A beautiful relief plaque hand-carved from the bone of an ungulate with lustrous gilding, likely made by the Embriachi workshop of northern Italy for a marriage casket. The high relief image depicts a traditional motif for marriage caskets: a man and a woman in conversation, both wearing long robes and displaying codified attitudes, imbued with restraint. Here the male reaches outward toward the swollen abdomen of his female companion on which she also places her hand, suggesting the announcement of pregnancy. Size: 1.25" W x 2.4" H (3.2 cm x 6.1 cm); 2.9" H (7.4 cm) on included custom stand; gold quality: 70 to 80% (equivalent to 16.8 to 19.2 karats)
The Florentine merchant Baldassare Embriachi (or more correctly Ubriachi), whose workshop in the city was producing carvings in the 1370s, moved to Venice in around 1390, establishing another atelier there. His widespread diplomatic and mercantile contacts allowed him to promote its wares, including large altar pieces, through much of Europe. On a more domestic front, it is thought a wealthy and burgeoning merchant class used caskets such as this for gifts during the often complicated marriage negotiations of the period (Glyn Davies and Kristin Kennedy, 'Medieval and Renaissance Art: People and Possessions', London, 2009, pp.105-6). Traditionally all such caskets were attributed to the Embriachi workshop, but it is now thought there may have been a number of different workshops operating in Venice in the early 15th century, producing such works, encouraged by the success of the Embriachi enterprise.
Cf. Foundation Grandur Pour L'Art (FGA-AD-OBJ-0077), Victoria and Albert Museum (A.7-1984, 4719-1859, and A.22-1952), and the Rhode Island School of Design Museum (85.075.8).
Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection, acquired on March 13, 2023; ex-Material Culture, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; ex-estate collection of Diana and Lawrence Fane, New York, USA
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#179926
- Condition: Plaque from a marriage casket. Expected nicks and abrasions as shown. Otherwise, intact and excellent with liberal remaining gilding, nice detail, and some encrustations. Verso has light inscription and old nails from previous attachment.
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| From: | To: | Increments: |
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| $0 | $299 | $25 |
| $300 | $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $1,999 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $4,999 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $9,999 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $19,999 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $49,999 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $99,999 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $199,999 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 + | $20,000 |