● On view now — Gallery 239
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · verified July 2026
FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG
By the end of the sixteenth century, the arms trade in Nuremberg had reduced considerably. Armorers and etchers adapted by applying their skills to broader markets by producing all-steel pistols and all-steel caskets such as this. The etched figures, birds, and hunting scenes on this casket derive from printed pattern books by Nuremberg artists Virgil Solis and Jost Amman. Caskets like this one were highly popular; made in a variety of sizes and used for safekeeping valuables, they were often given as betrothal gifts to brides.
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Florence, Italy — Box
Bavaria, Germany — Marriage Chest
Erhard & Söhne — Box
Italian — Casket
Artist unknown — Spoon Rack
German; Alsace — Chest
Artist unknown — Chest
French — Casket
German — Casket
China — Covered Box
India
Deccan — Fitted Chest with Floral and Grape-Leaf Motif
Japanese — Kodansu Small Chest