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About 1600
Walnut
Gift of F. W. Clifford Family
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Look
- Review the story of Phaeton and decide which episodes from the story the artist chose to illustrate in these four panels.
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- The people of the Italian
RENAISSANCE
were fascinated with ancient Greek and Roman cultures.
What clues does the artist give us that the story has Greek origins?
Clothing and tightly curled hair evoke ancient Greek sculpture, and there is Greek architecture in the panel background.
Can you see anything else that reminds you of ancient Greece on this cassone?
Answers might include: Figures on the corners of the chest are Greek monsters said to torment misers. Heads above the pictorial
panels and face at the center bottom of the chest often decorated classical architecture.
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Detail of Panel 2 & to the right of Panel 2 from the Cassone (Storage Chest) |
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Detail of Panel 3 from the Cassone (Storage Chest) |
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Detail above panels from the Cassone (Storage Chest) |
- Italian RENAISSANCE
artists were very interested in creating the illusion of depth in their work. The artist who carved this cassone used
OVERLAPPING,
SCALE
(the scale of objects far away in a space appear smaller than objects in the foreground), and
HORIZON LINES
to create a sense of deep space.
What appears farthest from you in each of these panels?
The sun in the second panel is smaller than the figures in the foreground.
Closest to you?
The large figure in the second panel is closest to the viewer.
Where has the artist used overlapping?
In each of the panels figures overlap each other or objects.
Where has the artist used scale to show distance? Where has the artist used a horizon line?
Think
- The artist who carved this cassone chose to represent the story of Phaeton in four scenes from the story. Working in groups of four,
think of a story that everyone in your group knows well. What four scenes from the story would you choose to represent? Why? Extension:
Illustrate the four scenes, each on a separate piece of paper. Trade your illustrations with another group. Now put the new set of
illustrations in their proper sequence. How did you know which came first? Which came last?
- The story of Phaeton is a story about a boy who "bit off more than he could chew"!
What does that mean?
Taking on more than you're equipped to handle.
Have you ever bitten off more than you could chew? What happened? How was the problem resolved?
- Renaissance viewers of this cassone would have interpreted the story of Phaeton as a version of a story from the Bible.
What experiences from contemporary life does the story evoke for you? Think about popular movie themes, news events, or books.
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