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DOI Artikel:Miziołek, Jerzy: The story of Lucretia on an Early-Renaissance "Cassone" at the National Museum in Warsaw
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18943#0043
8. The death of Lucretia, detail of the cassone, Urbino, Galleria Nazionale delle Marche
(Photo Galleria Nazionale delle Marche)
until now little studied, the considerations presented in this article are not intended to
exhaust the problem arising from the case of the Warsaw exh i bit.
The main figures in the narrative of the Warsaw cassone comprise the woman
stabbing herself with a knife and the king making his escape by horse from his
pursuers. The course of events and some motifs from the background (e.g. an obelisk
4. Some*preserved cassoni, such as the one reproduced in this article, from the collections of the National
Gallery at Perugia (cf. Fig. 20) exhibit well-preserved painted parts of the characters, not only their faces
but also their hands. In the „Life of Margaritone of Arezzo Vasari" (Lives..., op. cit., p. 91) writes that this
painter himself was the first to begin applying the technique of decorating with gilt gesso (placing gold leaf
on a reinforced chalk base). Vasari argues („Life of Delio Delii”, see Lives..., op. cit., pp. 329 f.) that even the
most renowned artists, such as Donatello, were to use this technique to make reliefs in their youth aiding
Delio Delii; this, however, was hardly possible as Donatello was older than the latter. On the subject of
cassoni with gilt gesso decoration cf. Schiaparelli, op. cit., vol. 1, pp. 257-262; also Schubring, op. cit., vol.
1, p. 91. See also P.M. de Winter, „A Little-Known Creation of Renaissance Decorative Arts: the White Lead
Pastiglia Box”, Saggi e Memorie di Storia dell'Arte, 14, 1984, pp. 7—42 and particularly p. 10 with
considerations concerning thę difference in manufacturing smali bo/es and cassoni.
5. Photographs in ultra violet carried out at the Workshop for the Conservation of Historie Monuments ot
Warsaw's School of Fine Artsduring the cassone sconservation. I would liketothank Mr Piotr Grochowski
for allowing me to inspect and reproduce the ultraviolet photographs and for discussing the subject with
me.
6. On cassoni adorned with gilt gesso decorations and their exceptional prices as a result of the gold leaf
applied in this process writes Thornton, The Italian..., op. cit., p. 196; see also W.L. Hildburgh, „On Some
Italian Renaissance Caskets with Pastiglia Decoration”, The Antiquaries Journal, XXVI, 1946, pp.
123-137.
37
(Photo Galleria Nazionale delle Marche)
until now little studied, the considerations presented in this article are not intended to
exhaust the problem arising from the case of the Warsaw exh i bit.
The main figures in the narrative of the Warsaw cassone comprise the woman
stabbing herself with a knife and the king making his escape by horse from his
pursuers. The course of events and some motifs from the background (e.g. an obelisk
4. Some*preserved cassoni, such as the one reproduced in this article, from the collections of the National
Gallery at Perugia (cf. Fig. 20) exhibit well-preserved painted parts of the characters, not only their faces
but also their hands. In the „Life of Margaritone of Arezzo Vasari" (Lives..., op. cit., p. 91) writes that this
painter himself was the first to begin applying the technique of decorating with gilt gesso (placing gold leaf
on a reinforced chalk base). Vasari argues („Life of Delio Delii”, see Lives..., op. cit., pp. 329 f.) that even the
most renowned artists, such as Donatello, were to use this technique to make reliefs in their youth aiding
Delio Delii; this, however, was hardly possible as Donatello was older than the latter. On the subject of
cassoni with gilt gesso decoration cf. Schiaparelli, op. cit., vol. 1, pp. 257-262; also Schubring, op. cit., vol.
1, p. 91. See also P.M. de Winter, „A Little-Known Creation of Renaissance Decorative Arts: the White Lead
Pastiglia Box”, Saggi e Memorie di Storia dell'Arte, 14, 1984, pp. 7—42 and particularly p. 10 with
considerations concerning thę difference in manufacturing smali bo/es and cassoni.
5. Photographs in ultra violet carried out at the Workshop for the Conservation of Historie Monuments ot
Warsaw's School of Fine Artsduring the cassone sconservation. I would liketothank Mr Piotr Grochowski
for allowing me to inspect and reproduce the ultraviolet photographs and for discussing the subject with
me.
6. On cassoni adorned with gilt gesso decorations and their exceptional prices as a result of the gold leaf
applied in this process writes Thornton, The Italian..., op. cit., p. 196; see also W.L. Hildburgh, „On Some
Italian Renaissance Caskets with Pastiglia Decoration”, The Antiquaries Journal, XXVI, 1946, pp.
123-137.
37