A leather "cuir bouilli" box

Probably Italy, late 15th century

Condition:
Worn and split leather hinges, some wormholes on the cover.

Decor stamped with folitated scrolls on a matted ground with inscription on cover: “DU BON DU [CŒUR]” (representation of a heart). The inside of the box is red.

For example, this box could be compared to one preserved in the Metropolitan Museum de New York (inv.56.150a, b).

The inscription "Du bon du cœur" means "sincerely and with affection" (Antoine Furetière, Dictionnaire universel, 1690). We find these words in medieval poems for example but also on a French box circa 1300-1400, preserved in the Victoria & Albert Museum (inv. 230-1889) where a shape of the heart is replacing the word like on our box.