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Source Description
The idealized image of a beautiful woman, generally accompanied by an amorous inscription on a scroll, here “Avi Merec Mad,” meaning “I entrust myself to you,” was a popular subject for Renaissance maiolica. Such wares may have been part of a ritual exchange of gifts between husbands and wives. Potters from Deruta, where this plate was surely made, in the 1500s were renowned for their depictions of such subjects. The reverse is painted in a stylized flower pattern known as "petal back." The elaborate monogram including a "B" on the reverse has not been identified. For similar maiolica dishes, see 48.1358 and 48.1741; for more on ‘maiolica,’ see 48.1336.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
28524
label
Dish with Female Bust and Inscription
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
2
Source metadata
id
28524
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Dish with Female Bust and Inscription
description
The idealized image of a beautiful woman, generally accompanied by an amorous inscription on a scroll, here “Avi Merec Mad,” meaning “I entrust myself to you,” was a popular subject for Renaissance maiolica. Such wares may have been part of a ritual exchange of gifts between husbands and wives. Potters from Deruta, where this plate was surely made, in the 1500s were renowned for their depictions of such subjects. The reverse is painted in a stylized flower pattern known as "petal back." The elaborate monogram including a "B" on the reverse has not been identified. For similar maiolica dishes, see 48.1358 and 48.1741; for more on ‘maiolica,’ see 48.1336.
provenance
J. Seligmann, Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1908 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
ca. 1500-1510 (Renaissance)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Ceramics
dishes
imageCount
2
pageCount
2
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
2
height
23
dimensionsRaw
13/16 x 9 1/16 in. (2 x 23 cm)
Source extras
inscriptions
[Transription] On the front
in the scroll: AVI·MERECºMADº ;[Translation] I entrust myself to you; [Inscription/Signature] On the back
between the footring
in blue
a stylized ""B"" crossed by a paraph
med
earthenware with tin glaze (maiolica)
creator_ids
33562
collection_ids
REN
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
d1c302b2949e2c33
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
2372859cb99bd221
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no