Hans Mella (active c. 1650)
Casket 1650-60
Gilt brass, silver gilt, silver | 4.7 x 7.3 x 5.1 cm (whole object) | RCIN 4103
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Miniature casket of silver gilt, framed in silver, on four silver-gilt ball feet, engraved throughout with mythological figures.
The engravings on this casket represent different scenes from Ovid's Metamorphoses. The figures on the top of the box are Apollo and the princess Coronis, who bore Apollo's child. When Coronis left Apollo, the god seized the child and put it into the care of a centaur, Chiron, who may be seen on the front of the casket.
Caskets of this type are often called 'Michael Mann boxes' as many of them bear the name of this master metalworker from Nuremberg. Mann worked with a range of metals including iron and gilt brass, but specialised in these small caskets, usually with intricate locking mechanisms. The decorative engravings were usually based on contemporary prints. Hans Mella, whose name appears on this box, seems to have worked in a very similar style to Mann.Provenance
Gift of Lady Northcote to Queen Mary in 1924
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Creator(s)
(metalworker)Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Gilt brass, silver gilt, silver
Measurements
4.7 x 7.3 x 5.1 cm (whole object)
Category
Object type(s)