Casket with putti and mottoes of courtly love

Noyier, Couly, II (1514-1571)

Item type:

furniture

Date of creation:

16th century

Height:

11.7 cm  (4 5/8 in.)

Width:

18.6 cm  (7 5/16 in.)

Technique / Medium:

enamel on copper with gilt metal frame

Description

"The casket contains 13 plaques, twelve of which portray male and female amoretti involved in various activities symbolic of courtly love; in five of these some hold or play musical instruments. "Suis par amour joyeau" (top right, front): A standing male at left carries a spar and sail and a seated male at right holds a bagpipe. "Par amour vaincu" (bottom right, front): A standing male at left plays a straight trumpet and a female at right leads a bound male captive. "Amour done joye" (top right, back): A kneeling male at left plays a long double wind instrument and a seated male at right holds a plucked string instrument. "Prenes. En gre le done" (bottom left, back): At the left a standing male addresses a seated female and at the right a kneeling male plays a trumpet marine. "A cuer dolant" (bottom, right end): At left a standing male plays a long curved horn. Another male in a chariot is drawn by a third. Between them a fourth male, walking, plays a bowed string instrument."

Instruments [MIMO Code] (notes)

Bagpipe [3746] (one chanter, one drone, no visible blowpipe)
End-blown trumpet [6556]
Aulos [4173]
Cittern [3106] (round pegbox, no visible pegs, three strings, round central soundhole; held upright with its bottom resting on the ground.)
Trumpet marine [3519] (carved animal head, round central soundhole, bow barely visible)
Horn [4118]
Fiddle [3142] (scalloped body with one large round soundhole, curved bow held in the left hand)

Image URLs

image link 1

RIdIM record id

1767