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Source Description
Venus, the Roman goddess of love, was married to the blacksmith-god Vulcan. This istoriato (story telling) plate shows him at left forging an arrow for Venus’s son Cupid, god of love, who accompanies his mother next to the tree at right. Although he is portrayed as a child, Cupid's power is great, since he targets the hearts of both humans and gods. Using gold-tipped arrows he makes them fall madly in love; however his lead-tipped ones cause them to reject all romantic advances. This is a fine example of Xanto Avelli’s ability to compose the scene in graceful accommodation with the shape of the plate. The figures occupy the foreground, while the architecture at left and the island in the center create a deep sense of space. Xanto briefly identifies the subject with the word "Vulcan" on the reverse.For more on Francesco Xanto Avelli, see no. 48.1373 and for more works by him click on his name in the "creator" field.For more information on maiolica, see no. 48.1336For more information on istoriato ware, see no. 48.1487
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
11240
label
Plate with Vulcan, Venus, and Cupid
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
4
Source metadata
id
11240
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Plate with Vulcan, Venus, and Cupid
description
Venus, the Roman goddess of love, was married to the blacksmith-god Vulcan. This istoriato (story telling) plate shows him at left forging an arrow for Venus’s son Cupid, god of love, who accompanies his mother next to the tree at right. Although he is portrayed as a child, Cupid's power is great, since he targets the hearts of both humans and gods. Using gold-tipped arrows he makes them fall madly in love; however his lead-tipped ones cause them to reject all romantic advances. This is a fine example of Xanto Avelli’s ability to compose the scene in graceful accommodation with the shape of the plate. The figures occupy the foreground, while the architecture at left and the island in the center create a deep sense of space. Xanto briefly identifies the subject with the word "Vulcan" on the reverse.For more on Francesco Xanto Avelli, see no. 48.1373 and for more works by him click on his name in the "creator" field.For more information on maiolica, see no. 48.1336For more information on istoriato ware, see no. 48.1487
provenance
Seligmann [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
ca. 1528-1532 (Renaissance)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Ceramics
plates
imageCount
4
pageCount
4
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
2.7
height
26.5
dimensionsRaw
H: 1 1/16 x Diam: 10 7/16 in. (2.7 x 26.5 cm)
Source extras
inscriptions
[Inscription] On the back
between the footring
in blue-green: Vulcano ; [Signature] X
med
earthenware with tin glaze (maiolica)
creator_ids
4363
collection_ids
REN
exhibition_ids
3522
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
6c92d13a83220be2
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
35c078d9c49c28ad
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
915c52a3e61c9a34
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
4
type
photo
mediaId
ce73f6e66c11b034
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no