European Decorative Arts and Sculpture Chest with Coat of Arms
and Emblems of the Medici FamilyMade in Florence, Italy, Europe
Artist/maker unknown, Italian Poplar with painted decoration;
iron hardware 1930-81-6Purchased with funds contributed by Mrs.
William E. Helme, 1930 This chest bears the coat of arms (inside
the wreaths on the front and the sides) and heraldic symbols of
the Medici family, who dominated the political and cultural life
of Florence during the fifteenth century. On the front, the
device of a diamond ring and motto with the word “senper”
(semper is Latin for “always”) signifies the family’s eternal
fame. While the pomegranates and pinecones in the wreaths are
attributes of fertility—and often connected with marriage
objects—the use of symbols linked to a single family suggests
this was a traveling or storage chest rather than a marriage
chest. Heraldic emblems, an important feature for both nuptial
and everyday objects, are used here to identify and honor the
owners of the chest and its c