Writing box. Severo Calzetta da Ravenna (Ravenna, 1465-1543) Workshop. Bronze, transparent reddish-brown patina, traces of black patina. Defects on the hinges.

7.5 x 22 x 12.7 cm

This beautiful writing case is a Renaissance invention. Its sides are filled with centaurs, shield-bearing cherubs, and Medusa heads.
The entire iconographic heritage of the Renaissance concentrated in a single object.

A very well-known box, present in many museums and private collections.

The attribution disputes for this Renaissance masterpiece are endless. They range from the school of Donatello to Caradosso, and finally to Severo da Ravenna, via the Mantuan school of Mantegna.

Following the recent and meticulous cataloguing carried out by Mark Gregory d'Apuzzo for the similar case in the Medieval Museum of Bologna, an attribution to the workshop of Severo Calzetta da Ravenna is proposed.

All known models have variations in the feet, in our case dolphins, but also telamons, feral legs or turtles.

The lid of our box is missing its hinges, so it can only be set down, not rotated. This would be a very simple, though unnecessary, restoration.

Bibliography:
Mark Gregory d'Apuzzo, The Bronze Collection of the Medieval Civic Museum of Bologna, Libro Co., San Casciano Val di Pesa, pp. 82-91.