The Baptism of Christ (casket lid, front); Saint Peter, Saint John the Evangelist, Saint Matthew and Two Unknown Saints (casket, front)

This painted casket front by Simone dei Crocifissi (c. 1360) at the Victoria and Albert Museum depicts the Baptism of Christ on the lid and five saints on the front face. Simone was the dominant painter in Bologna for much of the second half of the fourteenth century, heading a productive workshop that supplied devotional objects ranging from monumental altarpieces to intimate painted caskets like this one. The combination of a christological narrative scene with standing saints on a reliquary-type casket reflects the medieval integration of sacred imagery into everyday luxury objects.

Tempera and gold on a wooden casket, combining narrative and iconic imagery in a miniature format. Simone dei Crocifissi's Bolognese style is evident in the solid figural construction and emphatic linear contours, with the small scale demanding precise brushwork and careful organization of the compositions.