Veroli Casket

The Veroli box is a Byzantine wooden box, which is richly decorated with ivory and leg rests. It is 40.5 x 16 x 11.2 cm tall and dated probably in the middle of the 10th century. As of manufacture Konstantin Opel is assumed. The Veroli box is one of the most important works of Byzantine ivory art.

The box indicates the outer sides of fields, are representing the image sequences from Greek mythology and held in a classic - antique style. Among other things, there are shown on the front left Bellerophon and Pegasus together right the sacrifice of Iphigenia, on the cover of The Rape of Europa, on the narrow sides Dionysian motifs. Other Figures shown are Asclepius, Hygieia, and Heracles. The ivory works stand out for their high level of technical skill. Numerous figures are undercut and therefore appear almost fully plastic. The image panels are framed by rosette ribbons that clearly lie in the quality among the figural scenes.

The original function of the box is unknown. It may well have been a wedding gift or perhaps a container for precious perfumes.

The box was kept until 1861 in the Cathedral of Veroli, 1865 it was purchased by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London ( Inventar-Nr. 216-1865 ).