Design for a Cassone. Verso, Design for a Cabinet Door or Cassone Lid 1595 - 1605

Editor: Here we have a drawing, ink on paper, created sometime between 1595 and 1605 by an anonymous artist. It's entitled "Design for a Cassone. Verso, Design for a Cabinet Door or Cassone Lid." The architectural elements make it seem so austere, almost severe. How do you interpret this work, particularly within its historical context? Curator: It's interesting you describe it as austere. I see it as a product and reflection of its time, laden with symbolism tied to power and status. Cassoni, these ornamented chests, were highly visible declarations of wealth and lineage during the Italian Renaissance, functioning as dowry chests but also as statements of civic and familial pride. What seems like severe geometry to our eyes was once read as refined and prestigious. Editor: So the design itself conveyed a message? It wasn’t just about utility? Curator: Exactly. The very act of commissioning such an elaborate design was a political and social act. We need to consider who had the means to commission such objects. Who benefited from this display of wealth? Editor: So, in that sense, the chest design participates in a larger system of inequality and displays of dominance. It wasn't just about aesthetics. Curator: Precisely! Even the choice of decorative motifs—the acanthus leaves, the geometric precision—all speak to a revival of classical ideals, which in itself was a statement of cultural superiority and a claim to legitimate power by aligning themselves with ancient empires. How might its current location in the Met Museum add to its cultural and political meanings? Editor: Hmm, I hadn't thought of that. Placing it in a museum, far removed from its original social function, it becomes divorced from that original political statement and is recontextualized as ‘art’… Thanks, I'm viewing this cassone in a completely different light now. Curator: And hopefully questioning whose stories are privileged within museum spaces, and why. The conversations we have about art need to encompass these perspectives.