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Rosette Casket: M.18-1904

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Current Location: Gallery 32 (Rothschild)

Titles

Rosette Casket

Maker(s)

Production: Unknown

Entities

Categories

Description

Casket of wood covered with ivory plaques fixed with bone pegs. The casket is rectangular with a projecting moulding round the base. The lid has a low rectangular truncated pyramid in the middle surrounded by a flat border. Each side of the casket is decorated with two sunk panels, each carved with a beast (four of griffins, two of lions, and two of bears) , framed by narrow plaques carved with formal rosettes. The sunk panels are flanked by narrow strips of polychrome intarsia work. The lid has a rectangular panel carved with a lion and a griffin confronted and two pairs of acanthus scrolls. The border is carved with scrolling foliage and bunches of grapes.

Notes

History note: Frédéric Spitzer, Paris; Spitzer Collection, vol. I, p. 30, no. 5; Frank McClean.

Legal notes

McClean Bequest

Measurements and weight

Height: 14.7 cm
Length: 24.9 cm
Width: 19.4 cm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1904) by McClean, Frank

Dating

12th Century
Circa 1100 CE - Circa 1200 CE

Note

The wooden part and intarsia work are probably 19th century.

School or Style

Byzantine

Components of the work

Pegs composed of bone
Casket composed of wood (plant material)
Plaques composed of ivory

Techniques used in production

Carving : Casket of wood with ivory plaques fixed with bone pegs

References and bibliographic entries

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: M.18-1904
Primary reference Number: 31578
Wikidata: Q87488020

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Monday 18 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Rosette Casket" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/31578 Accessed: 2025-12-05 08:01:04

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/31578 |title=Rosette Casket |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-05 08:01:04|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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