Box with Episodes from the Life of the Spinola Family

In the 17th century various silversmiths from the Netherlands were active in the Italian city of Genoa. They were celebrated for their skills in rendering stories in very high relief. These plaquettes are made by the most famous of these craftsmen, Mattheus Melijn of Antwerp. They feature episodes from the life of the Spinola family, and show how a city can be conquered: Maria Spinola procured a duchy through the power of love, her brother Ambrogio through military might. In the coach at the left are Maria and her cousin and husband Gianbattista Spinola. In 1616, they are jubilantly greeted by the people of their new duchy, San Pietro in Galatina, on Sicily. Various worlds came together in this duchy; at the right are Turks with turbans and scimitars and at the left Romans in full armour.