An Italian late 16th century ivory and bone 'alla certosina' or 'alla Veneziana' inlaid walnut and fruitwood cassone Possibly Venetian, the central heraldic panel probably of a later date Inlaid with a profusion of geometric, star and stylised foliate patterns and alternating borders formed of 'tesserae' and stringing, the inlay comprised of a wide assortment of segments of various geometric shapes and proportions but principally lozenges, the hinged overhanging top inlaid with a central chess board tablet, flanked by two smaller chequered lozenges each within concentric roundels, with a flute-and-leaf moulded edge, above two large panels each inset with a smaller panel within a bead-and-reel moulded surround, flanked to each end by a tablet inlaid with a chequered pedestal vase replete with an elongated spray of stylised flowers and foliage, the central panel inset with a heraldic shield of a rearing lion below a chevron and two stars, flanked by two volute scrolled female caryatids, surmounted by two addorsed and scroll carved moustachioed profile masks, over an ovolo plinth base carved with a pattern of lunette-form opposing volute scrolls and acanthus, on recumbent mythical beast front supports and rear brackets, the central heraldic panel probably later, 159cm wide x 60.5cm deep x 61cm high, (62 1/2in wide x 23 1/2in deep x 24in high) Footnotes: Purchased The offered cassone was bought by the current owner and vendor, Woolley and Wallis, Salisbury, 20 January 2026, Fine Furniture, lot 34. Unfortunately, due to UK legislation regarding the presence of some segments of ivory as part of the elaborate inlay featuring on the present lot, the buyer was not subsequently able to export this wonderful example of 'alla certosina' work into Europe. A very closely comparable cassone sold Christie's, London, 8 November 2007, Important Early European Furniture, Sculpture and Tapestries, lot 40. Two further related examples sold respectively, Sotheby's, 10 June 2020, Arts of the Islamic World and India, lot 91, and Sotheby's, 27th October 2021, Arts of the Islamic World, lot 201. The art of adorning furniture and objects with distinctive inlay comprised of various shapes and forms, typically of assorted proportions, was a skill first established in ancient Egypt. Although it undoubtedly continued through the generations, this decorative technique was effectively revitalised during the Middle Ages, and particularly so in cities such as Cairo and Damascus. In these Islamic locations, often highly elaborate and intricate patterns were composed through the use of numerous very small (sometimes tiny) segments of inlay. These little pieces, or 'tesserae' as they are usually called in Italy, were made from a range of materials including ivory, bone and different woods. By what appears to be a process of absorption, this remarkable method of inlaying furniture spread to both Spain and Italy, but especially to Venice, from approximately 1450 onwards. And this work can be seen on many boxes, cassoni and cabinets produced in these areas during the latter part of the 15th century, and throughout the subsequent century. In Italy, the words 'alla Veneziana' (meaning: 'in the Venetian style') appear repeatedly among 16th century inventories, and it seems likely that this term refers to exactly this kind of inlay which is also much in evidence on the offered lot. The utilisation of something called 'alla certosina' inlay for the present cassone seems equally as likely. This closely related technique appears to have developed at roughly the same time as the previously referenced one. The origins of 'alla certosina' are the Certosa di Pavia (or Pavian Charterhouse), which is a renowned monastic complex constructed from 1396 onwards, and only completed in 1465. A similar version to the above, which employs comparable 'alla certosina', is housed in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam and appears in F. Schittmüller, Wohnungskultur und Möbel der Italienishen Renaissance, 1921, Stuttgart, fig. 88, p. 43. A prominent characteristic of the offered model are the two beautiful urns of elongated abundant flowers which are inlaid to each end of the front, flanking the main panels. These tall relatively narrow floral sprays can be found on some related Italian cassoni also evidently produced during this same period, including on an already cited example housed at the Rijksmuseum, as well as featuring on two more marriage coffers; one sold Sotheby's, London, 30 November 1990, lot 40; and the other Sotheby's, London, 10-11 June 1998, The Peter Zervudachi Collection, lot 259. An additional comparable which employs this attractive aspect of inlaid urns replete with elongated flowers used as a framing device for its main larger panels is a cassone forming part of the collection at the Schloßßmuseum in Berlin. It is illustrated in F. Schittmüller, Op. Cit., p. 43, fig. 86. This recurrent element is probably inspired by similar repeating decoration found on Turkish carpets and Iznik pottery of the 16th century, as posited by the following author in one of his major works: A. González-Palacios, Il Tempio del Gusto: La Toscana e l'Italia Settentrionale, 1986, Milan, Vol. I, p. 309. Further variants include an impressive and intricately 'alla certosina' inlaid marriage coffer at the Victoria and Albert Museum, Accession no. 7224-1860, which appears in Victoria & Albert Museum: Fifty Masterpieces of Woodwork, 1955, London, pl. 10. Whilst another cassone of this general type, featuring in Italian Cassoni from the Art Collections of Soviet Museums, 1983, Leningrad, pl. 133, resides in the Hermitage Museum, in St. Petersburg. Finally, for an equivalent Spanish example of approximately the same date see R. Domenech and L.P. Bueno, Antique Spanish Furniture,1965, New York, fig. 32, p. 53, which is also later replicated in L. Feduchi, El Mueble Espanol,1969, Barcelona, fig. 50, p. 81. The part of this lot containing ivory has been registered in accordance with the Ivory Act (Section 10) Ref SXVA1W28 This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: TP Y Ф TP For auctions held in Scotland: Please refer to the catalogue and/or after-sale information or contact Edinburgh@Bonhams.com for more information. For all other auctions: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (The Packengers, Unit 9, Abbey Mead Industrial Park, Brooker Road, Waltham Abbey, EN9 1HU, England, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue and/or after-sale information, sent out to all buyers post-sale. Please note transfer and storage charges will apply to any lots not collected after 10 calendar days from the auction date. Y Subject to CITES regulations when exporting items outside of the UK, see clause 13. Ф This lot contains or is made of ivory and cannot be imported into the USA or any country within the EU. 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