Casket with Scenes of Romances

This splendid casket is carved with scenes from romances and allegorical literature representing the courtly ideals of love and heroism. In the center of the lid, knights joust as ladies watch from the balcony; to the left, knights lay siege to the Castle of Love, the subject of an allegorical battle. The remaining scenes on the casket are drawn from well-known stories about Aristotle and Phyllis, Tristan and Iseult, and tales of the gallant, heroic deeds of Gawain, Galahad, and Lancelot. The box may originally have been a courtship gift.

Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.

Rev. John Bowle, Wiltshire, prior to 1757; Gustavus Brander, Christchurch, Hampshire, prior to 1787 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Francis Douce, London, prior to 1824 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Sir Samuel Rush Meyrick, Goodrich Court, Herefordshire, prior to 1836 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Lt. Col. Augustis Meyrick, 1848, by inheritance; Frédéric Spitzer, Paris, by purchase; Sale, Paul Chevallier and Charles Mannheim, April 17, 1893, no. 114; Oscar Hainauer, Berlin, prior to 1897 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Hector Economos, Paris, prior to 1913 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Henri Daguerre, Paris, after 1913 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Arnold Seligmann, Rey and Co., Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1923, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.