Design - casket

According to the drawing, the splaying, prismatic casket was made of green-stained wood. The cover opens on hinges. Both the cover and the bottom are covered with brass mountings enamelled in bluish green, enriched with green and purple precious stones. The mounting creates a continuous ornament on the front. Starting from the edges, the decoration connects the heart-shaped keyhole shield, surrounded by flowers, with the feet; it is combined with two, outwardly curving handles on the sides. The cover is ornamented with a relief finial, which forms a meditating female figure, who sits in a delicate posture, hugging her pulled-up knees. The soft wrinkles of her clothing are yellow, matching the similar colour of the brass mounts. The precious stone in her long hair that covers her shoulder recalls the colour of the scattered stones around the body. There is a small casket similar to Darilek's sketch, realized around 1900 (see Cat. No. 7.23), which was made of poplar root, inlaid with silver.