TRAVEL BOX WITH GEOMETRIC DECORATION Venice,... Lot 49

TRAVEL BOX WITH GEOMETRIC DECORATION Venice, 16th century Walnut; ivory; bone; patinated bronzes H. 33.5 cm, W. 81 cm, D. 53 cm Missing lock This travel box is adorned on the outside and inside with rich geometric decoration inlaid with ivory and bone. This technique, known in Egypt since antiquity, continued and prospered in the Middle Ages in Near Eastern cities such as Damascus and Cairo. It seems to have spread to Spain under the Umayyad influence and especially to Venice from the 15th century, a commercial crossroads between East and West. References in Italian inventories of the 16th century to chests alla veneziana (in the Venetian style) seem to refer to this style of decoration. The Victoria & Albert Museum in London holds a walnut chest with the same technique of inlaying ivory and bone with similar motifs (fig. 1). The solid geometric pattern on the lid is centred on a chequered pattern, marking an interior with a cellar and small drawers. The bronze side handles symbolize marine deities, a sort of signature nod to the city of the Doges . Further information from the collector can be found by QR Code in the PDF.