Cassone
after Maerten de Vos (Antwerp 1532 – Antwerp 1603)
Category
Furniture
Date
c. 1600
Materials
Cypress Wood
Place of origin
Italy
Collection
Greys Court, Oxfordshire
NT 195523
Summary
A penwork-decorated and intaglio-carved cypress cassone, Italy, possibly Northern Italy, circa 1600.Original lock, escutcheons and hinges. The penwork designs to the underside of the lid show two scenes from the Biblical story of Susannah and the Elders, based on engravings by Crispijn van de Passe after Maarten de Vos. The central panel is a representation of a celestial globe. The three panels on the front showing images of Venus, Saturn and Jupiter derive from Maarten de Vos' Planets series, engraved by Jan Sadeler. This cassone has traditionally been associated with the legend of the Mistletoe Bough.
Provenance
Sir Miles Stapleton, Greys Court, Oxfordshire; Frank Partridge and Sons Ltd., London; Purchased October 1934 by William Randall Hearst, St Donat's Castle, Glamorgan, Wales; Sold around 1954 to an unknown purchaser from whom purchased by Sir Felix and Lady Elizabeth Brunner c.1955 and by whom gifted along with Greys Court House and Estate to the National Trust, 1969.
Makers and roles
after Maerten de Vos (Antwerp 1532 – Antwerp 1603), artist after Crispijn van de Passe, the elder (c.1565-1637), artist after Jan Sadeler (1550-1600), artist