Casket with a lid

The oval casket was made of ivory, and its external walls are covered with a figurative relief. The casket has an oval shape; the lid attached to its lower part is connected to the belly with metal hinges on one side and with a latch on the other side. The walls and lid of the casket are decorated with relief; on the walls, between the playing naked winged putti, trees entwined with a vine were engraved. The composition with the putti is complemented with bunches of fruits: pomegranates, grapes and – probably – round peaches. On the lid, we can see an engraved representation of a naked women – presumably a goddess – in a reclined position surrounded by two putti. The woman holds a bowl filled with fruits and her right hand reaches towards the fruits. The ivory casket was purchased by Stanisław Kostka Potocki (1755–1821), a co-owner of the Wilanów Palace from 1799, who opened the first art museum in Poland in Wilanów along with his wife Aleksandra née Lubomirska (1760–1831). This took place in 1805. In the Transaction Diary where Potocki noted down his most important purchases and transactions, with particular regard to works of art, he wrote about this item: ‘I bought ... an oval ivory casket for # 10, which is girded with a bas relief representing juvenile Bacchanalia ...’ The casket was regarded as a valuable museum exhibit and an ivory product on a high artistic level by owners of the Wilanów Palace and, at the same time, owners of the local Museum. Its presence in publications describing the collection of the Museum can be an evidence of this. One of the sources is the richly illustrated Wilanów. An album of sights and souvenirs prepared by W. Gerson and H. Skimborowicz. The second author – a history researcher, journalist and political activist – was also a librarian in the estate of the Potocki family in Wilanów. The aforementioned album co-prepared by him presents the history of the mansion, with particular regard to its appearance and artifacts gathered in the Museum. One of them is: ‘An oval ivory casket with a carved lid closed with a latch, fastened with small hinges. On the lid, Pomona holds a horn of plenty among the two children and various fruits; around the edges, kneeling and lying children eat grapes or fruits. The 17th century. ...’