Leather box
Sumptuously ornamented on every surface with all’antica figurative and decorative reliefs, this unique, immaculately preserved, exquisite box is one of the finest examples of the Italian art of leatherworking to have survived from the late fifteenth century.
The box was made using the cuir bouilli (boiled leather) technique. A process that today is still not thoroughly understood in which vegetable tanned cow hides were immersed in hot water until pliable and shaped over a form or a wooden core. The outline of the design was then incised (cut) on the front. Punches and other tools subsequently were used to stamp down or depress the background thereby raising the pattern of relief. While being worked, the leather has the malleability of wax. Heating and drying transform it into a light, sturdy, waterproof material that retains its shape and ornamentation and is extremely pleasing to handle, making it an ideally suited medium from which to make beautiful protective containers, sheaths, scabbards, shields, and cases for books.
In Renaissance Italy practitioners of cuir bouilli were called Maestri di Corami (masters of stamped leather) a title reflecting the esteem in which the profession was held. The inventiveness, planning, and technical skill required to fashion a superlative work like the box confirms how admirably the Maestri commanded a multi-step process analogous to that of acknowledged Renaissance designer-artists such as goldsmiths. Although it is known that Milan and Venice were major centers of production in late fifteenth-century Italy, little documentation regarding the Maestri di Corami has yet been uncovered.
The leather box’s remarkable imagery, style, and reproductive character place leatherworking among the emergent artistic industries in late fifteenth century Venice and its environs that include printed books, pastiglia boxes, small bronzes, enamel on copper vessels, and painted enamel glassware. Designed to be reproduced, customized, and sold to a wide audience, these objects reflected the refined cultural interests and domestic customs prevalent in the most sophisticated spheres of Renaissance society and especially in the Northern Italian courts.
The box was made using the cuir bouilli (boiled leather) technique. A process that today is still not thoroughly understood in which vegetable tanned cow hides were immersed in hot water until pliable and shaped over a form or a wooden core. The outline of the design was then incised (cut) on the front. Punches and other tools subsequently were used to stamp down or depress the background thereby raising the pattern of relief. While being worked, the leather has the malleability of wax. Heating and drying transform it into a light, sturdy, waterproof material that retains its shape and ornamentation and is extremely pleasing to handle, making it an ideally suited medium from which to make beautiful protective containers, sheaths, scabbards, shields, and cases for books.
In Renaissance Italy practitioners of cuir bouilli were called Maestri di Corami (masters of stamped leather) a title reflecting the esteem in which the profession was held. The inventiveness, planning, and technical skill required to fashion a superlative work like the box confirms how admirably the Maestri commanded a multi-step process analogous to that of acknowledged Renaissance designer-artists such as goldsmiths. Although it is known that Milan and Venice were major centers of production in late fifteenth-century Italy, little documentation regarding the Maestri di Corami has yet been uncovered.
The leather box’s remarkable imagery, style, and reproductive character place leatherworking among the emergent artistic industries in late fifteenth century Venice and its environs that include printed books, pastiglia boxes, small bronzes, enamel on copper vessels, and painted enamel glassware. Designed to be reproduced, customized, and sold to a wide audience, these objects reflected the refined cultural interests and domestic customs prevalent in the most sophisticated spheres of Renaissance society and especially in the Northern Italian courts.
Artwork Details
- Title: Leather box
- Date: ca. 1490
- Culture: Italian, Venice
- Medium: Incised, tooled and stamped leather (cuir bouilli)
- Dimensions: confirmed, irregular diameter: 5 1/16 × 8 7/8 × 8 1/4 in. (12.9 × 22.5 × 21 cm)
lid confirmed, irregular diameter: 1 5/8 × 8 7/8 × 8 1/4 in. (4.1 × 22.5 × 21 cm) - Classification: Natural Substances-Leatherwork
- Credit Line: Purchase, Wrightsman Fellows Gifts, 2024
- Object Number: 2024.204a, b
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Northern Italian
second half 15th century
Italian, possibly Padua
third quarter 15th century
Bartholomew Newsam
1580–85
Master of François de Rohan
1539–40
German
late 16th century
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.