Marriage Chest (Cassone), early 1500s. Large storage chests resembling ancient Roman burial vaults-a popular collectible among wealthy families during the Renaissance-were often associated with an important marriage and contained the wife?s dowry of clothes and precious objects. This particular example displays the arms of the Spada Family of Rome amidst a richly carved fa?ade on a gilded ground. Sometimes cassoni were carried in the marital procession from the bride?s home to that of her future husband, emphasizing the power and wealth of both families.