The latest takes place on July 11 and among the major attractions will be a carved ivory casket or coffret dated to the 14th century decorated with chivalric scenes of courtly love.
The casket with iron fittings, which measures 7½ x 4 x 3in (19 x 10.5 x 8cm) is carved with a series of couples, each set within an arcade that include a man kneeling before a lady who is about to present him with a wreath of flowers; a man pinching a woman’s chin while she holds his hand and a scene from the famous courtly tale of Tristram and Iseult.
In May Lyon & Turnbull in Edinburgh sold another, slightly wider, 14th century ivory casket carved with chivalric subjects for £1.2m against an estimate of £30,000-50,000 (reported in ATG No 2494).
Other examples can be found in the Louvre, the Cluny Museum and the Metropolitan Museum, while the Musée d’Art et Histoire in Brussels has a similar example.
The casket on offer at Prunier has a provenance to a private collection in eastern France purchased from the dealer Charles Ratton in 1952.
Estimate is €70,000-80,000.
