ATTRIBUTED TO PLACIDO ZULOAGA: A FINE LATE 19TH CENTURY GOLD DAMASCENED CASKET

of domed form, the top decorated with a roundel depicting a dragon, flanked by borders of scrolling foliage and winged putti in the Renaissance Revival style, the sides, back and front all similarly decorated with dragons and mermen, the front and back panels centred by cartouches with raised relief cast panther masks, the interior with red velvet lining,

17cm wide x 12.5cm high x 10cm deep

Placido Zuloaga (Spanish, 1834-1910) was famous for reinventing the technique of damascening. Based in Toledo, he exhibited his works at the 1855 Paris International Exposition (where he was awarded a Medal of Honour) and at the Madrid and Brussels International exhibitions of 1856, then at the Great London Exposition of 1862. Although unsigned, the attention to detail and quality of the decoration visible in the present casket indicate that it surely came from Zuloaga's famous workshop.