Marriage casket c. 1395 - 1406

This marriage casket was made in Venice, Italy, around 1400, by Baldassare degli Embriachi and his workshop, primarily out of bone and wood. The choice of bone as a primary material gives the casket a unique texture and feel, contrasting with the warmth of the wood. This wasn't just a matter of aesthetics, though. Embriachi and his workshop were pioneers of mass production, and bone was more readily available, and cheaper than precious materials like ivory. The individual components were carved in series, and then assembled into their final form, with narrative scenes cut into the bone panels. Looking closely, you can appreciate the sheer amount of labor that went into this object. Though the workshop was highly organized, this was clearly still a very time-consuming process. The marriage casket challenges our traditional notions of fine art versus craft, and reminds us that even luxury goods are made through human effort.