Life, Love & Marriage Chests in Renaissance Italy

Exhibition Website

Mar 9 2019 - May 26 2019

During the Italian Renaissance, cassoni—elaborately decorated wedding chests—were an important part of marriage rituals and were among the most prestigious furnishings in the house or palace of the newlyweds. Usually commissioned in twos, the chests were an expression of the family’s wealth and position in society. They were often conspicuously paraded through the streets from the bride’s family home to her husband’s home—a clear statement of a new economic and political alliance between elite families. 

The tales and imagery represented on the lavish wood panels that decorated the chests offer insight into Renaissance life and society. The exhibition explores and illustrates life, love, and marriage in Renaissance Florence. Explores the function, craftsmanship, decorative techniques, and the significance and sources of the imagery.

The exhibition comprises around 45 Renaissance works of art related to its theme and representative of life and social customs in Renaissance Italy: entire chests, delicate tempera paintings on wood panels that were once decorative components of marriage chests, other elements of palace décor, earthenware in majolica, luxurious fabrics, parade shields, jewelry caskets and objects of private devotion. Made in Italy in the 14th through 16th centuries, all the works belong to the Museo Stibbert of Florence, Italy. It is a rare and very special that Italian authorities have permitted the temporary export of such a quantity of precious Renaissance paintings on wood, which are among the most delicate and sensitive works of art to preserve.

  • Various Media
  • European
  • Culture / Lifestyle
  • Various artists

Exhibition Venues & Dates