Design for a Coffer 19th century

This pen and brown ink drawing by an anonymous artist is a design for a coffer, likely dating from the 16th century. We see a symmetrical arrangement with classical figures and putti, suggesting this coffer was intended for a wealthy patron familiar with Renaissance artistic conventions. The image creates meaning through its visual codes drawn from classical mythology and the revival of antique styles. Its existence speaks to the social conditions that shaped artistic production at the time. Wealthy patrons commissioned these designs, demonstrating their status and taste through luxurious domestic objects. The drawing itself, now preserved in the Metropolitan Museum, owes its life to the institutional practices of collecting, preserving, and displaying art for public view. Understanding the artwork's cultural context requires exploring patronage systems, artistic training, and the circulation of visual ideas in Renaissance Europe. Researching period account books, inventories, and treatises can shed light on the social and economic forces behind such objects, and help us understand the place of art within society.