Master of the Très Petites Heures of Anne of Brittany
(Paris, active c. 1480-1510)
Nativity, hand-colored woodcut (c. 215 x 140 mm.) in a wood and
metal Gothic coffret (160 x 240 x 90 mm.)
France, Paris, c. 1490-1500

Of the extant woodcuts decorating Gothic coffrets, the Nativity by the Master of the Très Petites Heures of Anne of Brittany is one of the most common, recorded in twelve impressions of which nine are in boxes. Messenger’s box, container for relics, or portable altar?—these captivating boxes of mysterious function often had straw padding, loops for carrying, and secret compartments. This box, its “secret compartment” nailed shut, has a chain fixed to the rear of the box and perhaps destined to attach the box to the saddle of the horse of a messenger. Its elaborate locking mechanism is fully intact and, virtually unique among the boxes, it preserves its original Gothic key.
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