Casket

By the end of the sixteenth century, the arms trade in Nuremberg had reduced considerably. Armorers and etchers adapted by applying their skills to broader markets by producing all-steel pistols and all-steel caskets such as this. The etched figures, birds, and hunting scenes on this casket derive from printed pattern books by Nuremberg artists Virgil Solis and Jost Amman. Caskets like this one were highly popular; made in a variety of sizes and used for safekeeping valuables, they were often given as betrothal gifts to brides.