Casket with mythological scenes

myminifactory

This delicate box opens a window into the past, transporting us to the intimate world of sixteenth-century Italy and offering a glimpse into the private lives of Renaissance women. It was once the treasured possession of a woman who used it to hold precious trinkets and treasures such as cosmetics, perfumes, and jewelry. It depicts scenes found in Ovid's Metamorphoses, alluring yet moralizing tales that explore different aspects of love. Stories like the Judgment of Paris (portrayed on the front of the box), and Orpheus's tragic loss of his wife Eurydice (on the right side) promote the virtues of devotion, sacrifice, loyalty, and honor while condemning the vices of unbridled passion, vanity, and infidelity. Acquired with funds from Gaetano and Susan Vicinelli (Class of 1964) and the Art Acquisition FundDigitized by Laura Weston, 2019 - lwatson@mtholyoke.edu