Pastiglia chest. Florence, 14th-15th century.
Gilded wood according to the pastiglia technique.
Provenance: private collection conceived since the 1970s between London and Madrid.
Measurements: 26 x 60 x 22 cm.
Chest with a prismatic body and a gabled lid, with a flat moulded top. A late-Gothic Italian-made chest, notable for its decorative technique based on pastiglia, adapted on this occasion to the representation of fruit motifs and interlaced plant ornamentation. The cassette or coffaneti a pastiglia were made in workshops in northern Italy (Ferrara and Venice), but also in Tuscany, between 1480 and 1550, emulating goldsmiths' or ivory work. The pastiglia technique consists of applying figures or decorative elements made by moulding, with a mixture of plaster and strong glue, on the previously gilded surface, forming scenes. At that time the betrothal took place well in advance of the formalisation of the marriage, thus opening up a period of reaffirmation of social alliances, celebrations and gift exchange, especially among the emerging elites of the merchant cities. Coming from Italy, which had become a model of the new aesthetic, they were exotic pieces coveted in international trade.