Byzantine Casket

Make an embellished trinket chest to store your valuables. The decorative Byzantine style comes from the Eastern Roman Empire through the trading of rich materials from the Middle East.

Byzantine Casket

Skill Level

Beginner. Adult supervision needed

Time to Make

1 hour + drying time for paint

Adult Supervision Needed

Yes

How to Make

  1. Brush gold or silver acrylic paint over the lid and sides of treasure chest then leave to dry. Open up the lid then paint around the inner edges. Leave to dry.
  2. Place a doily onto a piece of scrap paper then dab gold or silver paint over the top using a sponge. Leave to dry.
  3. To line the chest with coloured felt, cut a 7cm wide strip from a self-adhesive sheet.
    Cut the felt strip into a 7cm x 8cm piece to fit inside the bottom compartment and a 7cm x 7cm piece to fit inside the lid. Cut off 4 smaller 4cm x 2cm pieces for the ends. Peel of the backing paper then place each felt piece in place, pressing around the edges for a neat fit.
  4. Cut out some pieces from a painted doily as decoration for the chest. Trim the doily edges so the pieces fit onto the lid and sides, brush glue over the chest then place the doily pieces on top, pressing the edges so they stay flat.
  5. Stick gems onto the chest to add more decoration. A large gem stuck onto the lid with small gems around the edge makes a striking embellishment with gold and silver pearls.
Byzantine Casket Byzantine Casket Byzantine Casket

Top Tip

Use a sponge to dab gold or silver over the doily so the paint isn’t too thick.

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