Casket or Small Cabinet Item Number: 47.116.1 from the Brooklyn Museum
Label
Shortly after Britain seized Jamaica from Spain in 1655, local workshops began manufacturing two uniquely Caribbean types of decorative art objects: costly tortoiseshell boxes and comb sets. These luxury goods were typically made for a British market as either souvenirs or exotic gifts from the islands. They were often engraved with Jamaica’s new coat of arms, which included an indigenous Arawak man and woman (see illustration), and evocations of the island’s abundant natural resources.
Poco después de que los ingleses incautaran Jamaica a España en 1655, los talleres locales comenzaron a producir dos tipos de objetos decorativos únicos del Caribe: costosas cajas de carey y juegos de peines. Estos bienes de lujo se fabricaban generalmente para el mercado británico como recuerdos de viajes o regalos exóticos de las islas. Frecuentemente se grababan con el nuevo escudo de armas de Jamaica, que incluía un hombre y una mujer indígenas arawak (ver ilustración) e ilustraciones de los abundantes recursos naturales de las islas.
Credit Line
Carll H. de Silver Fund
Item History
- Made during 1677
What
- Name
- Casket or Small Cabinet
- Identification Number
- 47.116.1
- Type of Item
- casket and or
- Material
- tortoise shell and silver metal
- Measurements
- “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)” ?
Where
- Holding Institution
- Brooklyn Museum
When
- Creation Date
- during 1677
Other
- Classification
- Furnishing