Casket or Small Cabinet
1677
Maker Unknown
Arts of the Americas
Fabricated from local tortoiseshell, these exceptional objects were produced to serve as mementos or souvenirs of time spent in Jamaica by wealthy landowners. The tortoiseshell is embellished with engraved floral motifs derived from contemporary European prints or textiles. The small cabinet is further decorated with small silver drawer pulls cast in the shape of busts of enslaved Africans. Intended for European consumption, these objects also serve as a reminder that their owners’ wealth was the result of enslaved labor.
- Maker/Artist
- Maker Unknown
- Classification
- Furnishing
- Formatted Medium
- Tortoise shell, silver
- Dimensions
- Closed: 6 7/8 x 10 1/8 x 6 1/4 in. (17.5 x 25.7 x 15.9 cm) Front doors open to maximum: 6 7/8 x 17 3/4 x 8 7/8 in. (17.5 x 45.1 x 22.5 cm) Front doors open to slight angle: 6 7/8 x 14 x 10 in. (17.5 x 35.6 x 25.4 cm)
- Departments
- Arts of the Americas
- Accession Number
- 47.116.1
- Credit Line
- Carll H. de Silver Fund
- Rights Statement
- Creative Commons-BY
- Museum Location
- This item is not on view
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