Carved Bone and Ivory Boxes, Caskets, and Coffers in the Middle Ages and Renaissance

	Carved Bone and Ivory Boxes
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Bone inlaid box, Winchester (Roman Britain), 4th or early 5th century The Franks Casket, whalebone with Roman, Judeo-Christian, and Germanic scenes (like Romulus and Remus, Titus and the Sack of Jerusalem, Weyland the Smith, and the Adoration of the Magi); Anglo-Saxon, first half of the 8th century Examples from Andalusia (including Cordoba), 10th-11th centuries: Pyxis, ivory, Andalusia, c. 950-975 Carved ivory casket made in Cordoba or Medina Azahara, c. 961-965 The Box of Zamora, Cordoba, 964 Ivory pyxis of al-Mughira, Cordoba, 968 (detail of cartouche) Pyxis in carved ivory, Cordoba or Medina Azahara, c. 969-970 Box lid made in Spain (probably Cordoba), dated 999 Ivory pyxis of St. Isadore, 11th century Ivory box, Cordoba, early 11th century Ivory casket known as the Arqueta de Leyre, Cordoba, c. 1004-1005 (detail of lid; more information) Ivory casket probably made in Cordoba c. 1000-1025 Ivory casket, Cuenza, 1049 (another view) An article on carved ivory caskets and reliquaries of early northern Europe has photos of several examples, and a procedure used to create a polymer-clay faux-ivory casket. Oriental ivory casket, 10th century (also here and here) Examples from Byzantium (including Constantinople), 10th-13th centuries: Casket with scenes from the Fall of Adam and Eve and the story of Joseph, Byzantine, 10th-11th century Casket with Warriors and Mythological Figures in bone plaques and ornamental strips over wood; Byzantium, 900-1100 Ivory rosette casket with Warriors and Dionysiac Figures, Constantinople, mid-10th to mid-11th century The Veroli Casket, Istanbul, c. 1000; wood overlaid with carved ivory and bone plaques with traces of polychrome and gilding, depicting scenes from classical mythology, including the Rape of Europa, and the stories of Bellerophon and Iphigenia Casket with warriors and dancers in ivory and bone; Byzantium, 11th century Ivory casket, Byzantium, c. 1150-1200 Casket covered in carved bone, Lower Saxony, c. 1000 (also here) The Bamberg Casket (aka the jewelry-box of Queen Kunigunde), ivory and gilt bronze, 11th century (additional views here, here, here, here, here, here, and here); see these notes on the Bamberg Casket for more information Ivory coffret, ca. 1001-1200 Examples from southern Italy and Sicily, 11th-14th centuries: Ivory casket from southern Italy, 11th century (also here) The Morgan Casket, ivory; southern Italy or Sicily, 11th-12th centuries Coffret painted with knights and birds, second half of the 12th century, Sicily (front, side, side, top) Sicilian-Norman box with polychromatic & gilt decoration, 12th-13th century Casket in carved and painted wood with applied pierced and ivory panels, southern Italy, 13th century Casket in carved ivory with gilt metal mounts, southern Italy, 13th-14th centuries A 14th century Italian coffer with scenes from romances carved in quatrefoils (back) German casket in bone plates on wood, 11th-12th centuries (also here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here) Ivory casket, 12th century Spain Ivory casket, 12th century Spain Carved bone casket with Romance scenes (Tristam and Isolde), Cologne, early 13th century (also here) Truncated pyramidal box with heraldic motifs, 13th century Italy Ivory casket, 13th-14th century Spain (here and here) Examples from 14th century France (mostly Parisian examples): Jewelry-coffret, France, c. 1301-1310 Ivory box with Aristotle and Phyllis, Paris, c. 1310-1330 Ivory casket with scenes from the Romances, Paris, c. 1325-1350 Casket with scenes of romances, France, 1330-1350 Box front with scenes of Alexander and Pyramus, France, 1330-1350 Casket with scenes from romances, Paris, 14th century Ivory coffret, 14th or 15th century Rectangular coffret, Italy, c. 1400 (front, back) Box panel with lovers exchanging gifts, Burgundy or Flanders, c. 1410-1420 Examples from northern Italy (including Florence and Venice; especially the Embriachi Workshop), 15th-16th centuries: Ivory casket, Venice (Embriachi workshop), first half of the 15th century Casket with the story of Jason in bone plaques on wood with bone marquetry; Florence, c. 1400 Coffret with the story of Pyramus and Thisbe, (Embriachi workshop), c. 1400 (Nobil è chi nobilmente manda. Iconographie, fonction et clientèle des coffrets de mariage des Embriachi) Marriage-coffret with scenes from the story of Paris, Embriachi workshop, beginning of the 15th century (open - front, open - back, closed, lid detail, and side details 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) Casket of silver fir inlaid with marquetry of bone ivory and horn, northern Italy (Embriachi workshop), early 15th century Jewelry-box in ebony and bone, Embriachi workshop, early? 15th century Casket in carved bone and wood and ebony and certosina/intarsia; Venice, c. 1401-1415 (also here, here, here, and here) Octagonal coffret with the story of Jason; Venice, 15th century (pictures here, here, here, and here) Coffret with the story of Elias; Venice, 15th century (pictures here, here, here, and here) Casket, wood with bone and ebony marquetry with gilded metal fittings; northern Italy, 15th century Box with hunt scenes in carved bone and wood, northern Italy, c. 1425 (also here and here and here) Casket in wood overlaid with carved bone; northern Italy, c. 1425 (note similarity to V&A 4660-1859) Ivory casket in wood overlaid with carved and tinted bone; northern Italy, late 15th century Coffer in wood with ivory panels, 16th century Italy (Embriachi workshop) Coffer with scenes from the story of Alexander the Great, Italy, first half of the 16th century Wooden coffret with ivory and wood marquetry, 15th century Italy (front, top, open, side, side, back, bottom) Ivory casket with carved scenes from the Roman de la Rose, France?, 15th century Casket with scenes from the Passion of Christ, Netherlands, c. 1450 An octagonal lidded casket of bone, stained in various colours, probably German, 15th century Ivory coffret, late 15th century Germany (top, back, bottom, side, side, front) Coffret made in Italy at the end of the 15th century - Nativity and saints (front, back) Ivory caskets, France, c. 1491-1500 Ivory casket, France, c. 1491-1500 Ivory casket, c. 1491-1500 Examples from Sri Lanka, 16th century: The Robinson Casket made in Sri Lanka c. 1557 (see video) Casket made in Sri Lanka in the second half of the 16th century Ivory casket made in Germany c. 1580-1600

Carved Bone and Ivory Boxes

Bone inlaid box, Winchester (Roman Britain), 4th or early 5th century
The Franks Casket, whalebone with Roman, Judeo-Christian, and Germanic scenes (like Romulus and Remus, Titus and the Sack of Jerusalem, Weyland the Smith, and the Adoration of the Magi); Anglo-Saxon, first half of the 8th century

Examples from Andalusia (including Cordoba), 10th-11th centuries:

Pyxis, ivory, Andalusia, c. 950-975
Carved ivory casket made in Cordoba or Medina Azahara, c. 961-965
The Box of Zamora, Cordoba, 964
Ivory pyxis of al-Mughira, Cordoba, 968 (detail of cartouche)
Pyxis in carved ivory, Cordoba or Medina Azahara, c. 969-970
Box lid made in Spain (probably Cordoba), dated 999
Ivory pyxis of St. Isadore, 11th century
Ivory box, Cordoba, early 11th century
Ivory casket known as the Arqueta de Leyre, Cordoba, c. 1004-1005 (detail of lid; more information)
Ivory casket probably made in Cordoba c. 1000-1025
Ivory casket, Cuenza, 1049 (another view)

An article on carved ivory caskets and reliquaries of early northern Europe has photos of several examples, and a procedure used to create a polymer-clay faux-ivory casket.
Oriental ivory casket, 10th century (also here and here)

Examples from Byzantium (including Constantinople), 10th-13th centuries:

Casket with scenes from the Fall of Adam and Eve and the story of Joseph, Byzantine, 10th-11th century
Casket with Warriors and Mythological Figures in bone plaques and ornamental strips over wood; Byzantium, 900-1100
Ivory rosette casket with Warriors and Dionysiac Figures, Constantinople, mid-10th to mid-11th century
The Veroli Casket, Istanbul, c. 1000; wood overlaid with carved ivory and bone plaques with traces of polychrome and gilding, depicting scenes from classical mythology, including the Rape of Europa, and the stories of Bellerophon and Iphigenia
Casket with warriors and dancers in ivory and bone; Byzantium, 11th century
Ivory casket, Byzantium, c. 1150-1200

Casket covered in carved bone, Lower Saxony, c. 1000 (also here)
The Bamberg Casket (aka the jewelry-box of Queen Kunigunde), ivory and gilt bronze, 11th century (additional views here, here, here, here, here, here, and here); see these notes on the Bamberg Casket for more information
Ivory coffret, ca. 1001-1200

Examples from southern Italy and Sicily, 11th-14th centuries:

Ivory casket from southern Italy, 11th century (also here)
The Morgan Casket, ivory; southern Italy or Sicily, 11th-12th centuries
Coffret painted with knights and birds, second half of the 12th century, Sicily (front, side, side, top)
Sicilian-Norman box with polychromatic & gilt decoration, 12th-13th century
Casket in carved and painted wood with applied pierced and ivory panels, southern Italy, 13th century
Casket in carved ivory with gilt metal mounts, southern Italy, 13th-14th centuries
A 14th century Italian coffer with scenes from romances carved in quatrefoils (back)

German casket in bone plates on wood, 11th-12th centuries (also here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here)
Ivory casket, 12th century Spain
Ivory casket, 12th century Spain
Carved bone casket with Romance scenes (Tristam and Isolde), Cologne, early 13th century (also here)
Truncated pyramidal box with heraldic motifs, 13th century Italy
Ivory casket, 13th-14th century Spain (here and here)

Examples from 14th century France (mostly Parisian examples):

Jewelry-coffret, France, c. 1301-1310
Ivory box with Aristotle and Phyllis, Paris, c. 1310-1330
Ivory casket with scenes from the Romances, Paris, c. 1325-1350
Casket with scenes of romances, France, 1330-1350
Box front with scenes of Alexander and Pyramus, France, 1330-1350
Casket with scenes from romances, Paris, 14th century

Ivory coffret, 14th or 15th century
Rectangular coffret, Italy, c. 1400 (front, back)
Box panel with lovers exchanging gifts, Burgundy or Flanders, c. 1410-1420

Examples from northern Italy (including Florence and Venice; especially the Embriachi Workshop), 15th-16th centuries:

Ivory casket, Venice (Embriachi workshop), first half of the 15th century
Casket with the story of Jason in bone plaques on wood with bone marquetry; Florence, c. 1400
Coffret with the story of Pyramus and Thisbe, (Embriachi workshop), c. 1400 (Nobil è chi nobilmente manda. Iconographie, fonction et clientèle des coffrets de mariage des Embriachi)
Marriage-coffret with scenes from the story of Paris, Embriachi workshop, beginning of the 15th century (open - front, open - back, closed, lid detail, and side details 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
Casket of silver fir inlaid with marquetry of bone ivory and horn, northern Italy (Embriachi workshop), early 15th century
Jewelry-box in ebony and bone, Embriachi workshop, early? 15th century
Casket in carved bone and wood and ebony and certosina/intarsia; Venice, c. 1401-1415 (also here, here, here, and here)
Octagonal coffret with the story of Jason; Venice, 15th century (pictures here, here, here, and here)
Coffret with the story of Elias; Venice, 15th century (pictures here, here, here, and here)
Casket, wood with bone and ebony marquetry with gilded metal fittings; northern Italy, 15th century
Box with hunt scenes in carved bone and wood, northern Italy, c. 1425 (also here and here and here)
Casket in wood overlaid with carved bone; northern Italy, c. 1425 (note similarity to V&A 4660-1859)
Ivory casket in wood overlaid with carved and tinted bone; northern Italy, late 15th century
Coffer in wood with ivory panels, 16th century Italy (Embriachi workshop)
Coffer with scenes from the story of Alexander the Great, Italy, first half of the 16th century

Wooden coffret with ivory and wood marquetry, 15th century Italy (front, top, open, side, side, back, bottom)
Ivory casket with carved scenes from the Roman de la Rose, France?, 15th century
Casket with scenes from the Passion of Christ, Netherlands, c. 1450
An octagonal lidded casket of bone, stained in various colours, probably German, 15th century
Ivory coffret, late 15th century Germany (top, back, bottom, side, side, front)
Coffret made in Italy at the end of the 15th century - Nativity and saints (front, back)
Ivory caskets, France, c. 1491-1500
Ivory casket, France, c. 1491-1500
Ivory casket, c. 1491-1500

Examples from Sri Lanka, 16th century:

The Robinson Casket made in Sri Lanka c. 1557 (see video)
Casket made in Sri Lanka in the second half of the 16th century

Ivory casket made in Germany c. 1580-1600