Cassina with "Certosina" inlays - Venice 15th century

"Cassina" entirely decorated with geometric motifs "Certosina" inlays

Venice, 15th century (1460/80 circa)
Walnut, ivory, bone and various woods.
Measurements cm. 47 x 28 H. 20
Museum-quality masterpiece.

The practice of decorating the surface of wooden furniture with contrasting inlays was already used by the craftsmen of Ancient Egypt.
It continued to thrive during the Middle Ages in Islamic cities such as Cairo and Damascus, where complex and very fine geometric patterns were created using tiny pieces of bone, ivory, mother-of-pearl and various types of wood.
Following cultural and commercial relations with the East, the technique was revived both in Spain and Italy, particularly in Venice, starting around 1400, and was used on trunks, chests and boxes like this one.
. Venetian inventories from the 16th century mention precious artefacts with Venetian inlays (or Venetian style), and refer to this meticulous type of decorative covering.
It is assumed that the most valid authors of these magnificent works of art were the Carthusian monks of the convents in the surroundings of Venice, giving rise to the name of this type of inlay.
Their works surpassed both Spanish and Islamic production for their exceptional finesse, and are distinguished by their extraordinary manual skill. The tiny tesserae were in fact applied to the surface of the wood one piece at a time and not in pre-packaged panels, resulting over time in detached from each other with a natural spacing with a mosaic effect, rather than with a perfectly smooth and uniform surface.
These very rare jewels of Venetian craftsmanship are present in the exhibitions of the most important international museums, and have always been considered one of the most sought-after forms of cabinetmaking by collectors of high-end antiques.