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Source Description

In the center field of this plate is a shield with the Lamb of God and a cross, pointing to the possibility that the patron was a religious organization. Swirling ribbons, a motif associated with maiolica wares made in the city of Faenza, are depicted on either side of the shield. On the other hand, the dark red color visible in the designs on the outer ring is characteristic of dishes produced in Siena. The plate’s outer ring displays repeating designs of open flowers, scrolls, ribbons, and birds with spread wings, painted in a popular style meant to recall ancient Roman wall decoration. On the plate’s back, four identical groups of blue trumpet flowers surround a crossed diamond, surely a mark that would have identified the workshop to the local community. There were active maiolica workshops in both Siena and Faenza. As techniques such as the unusual production of the color red were less mobile than painterly motifs, the dish is here provisionally assigned to Siena. Three small marks visible on the surface of the plate were likely made by the support that the plate was placed on in the kiln. This plate must have been a relatively inexpensive commission, or the artist would not have allowed the supports to mar its surface

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
27582
label
Plate with Shield Showing the Lamb of God
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
5
Source metadata
id
27582
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Plate with Shield Showing the Lamb of God
description
In the center field of this plate is a shield with the Lamb of God and a cross, pointing to the possibility that the patron was a religious organization. Swirling ribbons, a motif associated with maiolica wares made in the city of Faenza, are depicted on either side of the shield. On the other hand, the dark red color visible in the designs on the outer ring is characteristic of dishes produced in Siena. The plate’s outer ring displays repeating designs of open flowers, scrolls, ribbons, and birds with spread wings, painted in a popular style meant to recall ancient Roman wall decoration. On the plate’s back, four identical groups of blue trumpet flowers surround a crossed diamond, surely a mark that would have identified the workshop to the local community. There were active maiolica workshops in both Siena and Faenza. As techniques such as the unusual production of the color red were less mobile than painterly motifs, the dish is here provisionally assigned to Siena. Three small marks visible on the surface of the plate were likely made by the support that the plate was placed on in the kiln. This plate must have been a relatively inexpensive commission, or the artist would not have allowed the supports to mar its surface
provenance
Spitzer Collection, Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown] [no. 1050, pl. XXXIII as Faenza]; H. Wencke, Hamburg [date and mode of acquisition unknown] (1893?) (no. 37) (?); Henry Walters, Baltimore, May 7, 1908, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
ca. 1475-1525 (Renaissance)
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Ceramics
plates
imageCount
5
pageCount
5
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
3
height
24.4
dimensionsRaw
H: 1 3/16 × Diam: 9 5/8 in. (3 × 24.4 cm)
Source extras
inscriptions
[Maker's Mark] In the center
between the footring
in blue
a crossed diamond; [Previous Collection inv. no.] 37
med
earthenware with tin glaze (maiolica)
creator_ids
33562
collection_ids
REN
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
1029588aa989c400
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
955fe9590e9e4c8c
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
b1fbb1c3ac990bce
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
4
type
photo
mediaId
ca9101581cae91d2
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
5
type
photo
mediaId
3705da758238e6d0
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no