Full title | Cassone with the Arms of Vaggia Nerli and Lorenzo Morelli (The Nerli Chest) |
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Artist | Biagio d'Antonio and Jacopo del Sellaio and Zanobi di Domenico |
Artist dates | 1446 - 1516; about 1441 - 1493; active 1464 - 1474 |
Date made | 1472 |
Medium and support | Tempera, oil and gold on wood |
Dimensions | 109.2 × 193 × 76.2 cm |
Acquisition credit | On loan from The Samuel Courtauld Trust, The Courtauld Gallery, London |
Inventory number | L912.1 |
Location | Room 58 |
Art route(s) | A |
Image copyright | On loan from The Samuel Courtauld Trust, The Courtauld Gallery, London, © © The Samuel Courtauld Trust, The Courtauld Gallery, London. |
Collection | Main Collection |
Furniture paintings often told their viewers how to behave, and what to avoid. The 'spalliera' panel above the chest shows Mucius Scaevola. He plunged his hand into a fire to convince Rome’s enemies of her citizens’ bravery.
The main painting set into the chest tells the cautionary tale of a teacher who offered his pupils as hostages to his city’s enemies. He was caught and punished.
This was an important message for Florentine Renaissance women like Vaggia Nerli, who were instructed that their principal responsibility was to care for their husband’s children.
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