Very Rare 15th/16th Century Spanish Casket
Very Rare 15th/16th Century Spanish Casket
Price on request
A very rare Spanish 15th/16th Century walnut casket, also known as an arqueta.
Circa 1500.
Exceedingly finely decorated with Gothic decoration and original elaborate metalwork.
The top and back are embellished with a multitude of relief cast St James' Scallop Shells, referring to the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. The shell of Saint James or La Vieira is the traditional emblem of Santiago, and is popular with pilgrims on the Way of St James travelling to the apostle’s shrine in Galicia. Medieval Christians making the pilgrimage to the shrine often wore a scallop shell symbol on their hat or clothes.
The pilgrims also carried a scallop shell and would present themselves at churches, castles, abbeys and so on where they could expect to be given as much sustenance as they could pick up with one scoop of the shell. The scallop shell had been chosen because, according to tradition, when the remains of St James were originally unearthed, it was said to be covered in scallop shells. The scallop shell is said to be a metaphor, its lines representing the different routes pilgrims travelled from all over the world, all walking trails leading to one point: the tomb of Saint James in Santiago de Compostela.
Retaining the original key.
46cm wide, 35.5cm deep, 28cm high