A Spanish-colonial silver-mounted tortoiseshell casket

South or Central America, late 16th/early 17th century

H. 15.2 x W. 25.1 x D. 12 cm

Until recently, these caskets were often classified as Spanish or Portuguese, but it has become clear that they were produced over a very wide geographic area under European patronage in workshops in India, Sri Lanka, Batavia, China, the Caribbean, Central and South America in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Distinguishing regional characteristics are generally only found in the type of decoration of the mounts. In this case, it seems that the masks from which the handles are suspended and the engravings on the further mounts point towards the Americas.

Tortoiseshell used in luxury works of art and furniture is derived from the outer layer of the sea turtle's shell, primarily the giant Green (Chelonia mydas) and Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) turtles. When heated, the material can be bent, making it plastic avant la lettre.