Studio of Baldessare degli Embriachi

Founded by a family of artisans known for their ivory carving, the Embriachi workshop produced religious and secular objects. When ivory became scarce in Europe due to disrupted trade routes, bone was substituted. This bone casket was most likely intended as a marriage gift, as suggested by the emblem of two houses uniting, painted above the lock. The finely wrought geometric decorations are fashioned from inlays of stained wood, horn, and bone, recalling ancient mosaics made from various materials.