|
This is a SUPERB example of the Duruta majolica art of the 16th Century ! Having said that---I have gone back and forth with people who claim to have seen examples of Deruta pottery and they have offered
many opinions on this dish which are so varied that I am just going to give you all the information without pulling any punches and I am going to put my price on it without any claims to origin and without
any offers to take it back if you are not satisfied.
To begin with, all are in agreement that it is a Deruta product of some period in time. The main point of disagreement is in the "color" of the wing design in the hair. They claim that this color
was not available in 1525==the date on the dish. However, I have not only learned that it was available in other parts of the world but in Deruta also. I was even quoted a formula for creating the color
and another source declared it to be normal in various shades according to the temperature in the firing. Another point of contention is the fact that the reverse side was decorated at that time. I do
not argue that point except that NOT ALL were decorated---and I will tell you why ! Most of the people offering up these arguments were not aware that these portrait dishes were created FROM PATTERN BOOKS
! They were not all paintings of nobility as some suggested. And, the artists used a "combination" of portraits, rim designs, etc., to create their own versions of a beautiful maiden on a dish. It
was just as simple as that ! You may view a very similar dish in the Victoria and Albert Museum. I have a copy of a catalog that was published in 1877 by the "South Kensington Museum"--now the V &
A. in which the dish is illustrated on page 63. I was also informed by a collector that Bernard Rackham's later 1940 "Catalog of Italian Maiolica" from the V&A has a very detailed description of this
same dish. One last item--it has a satiny metallic glaze that does not show in photo.
So, I am offering this dish as you see it and with my explanations. It measures approx. 14 3/4" in diameter. The rim varies in width from 2 1/2" to 2 5/8". The foot varies around 5 3/4" in diameter.
The portrait sits in a depression of about 1" deep. The hairline that is so prominent across the center of the front and back is in the making (firing) and I believe I see some tracings of gold --which
would have been the standard practice to repair a fine piece as this instead of discarding it since a lot of work went into it. My price is $4,500.00
|
|
