The Cassollette: Women Supporting an Urn
Marco Dente (Italian, c. 1486–1527)
after Marcantonio Raimondi (Italian, 1470/82–1527/34)
c. 1520–27
- Medium
- engraving
- Classification
- Culture
- Italy
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Prints
- Credit line
- Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Cleveland Museum of Art
About this work
Prints helped disseminate design ideas and establish a taste for decorative objects and styles, especially when endorsed with royal insignia. Adapted from Greek architecture, two caryatids—draped female figures used as pillars—hold aloft an ornamental incense burner designed by Raphael about 1515–20 for King François I (reigned 1515–1547). The lily-shaped fleurs-de-lis on its lid allude to the French monarchy. The salamanders adorning the side of the vessel specifically refer to François I, who chose this amphibian as his personal emblem. According to legend, salamanders could survive fire, making them even more meaningful on a burner.
