PAIR OF ITALIAN MAIOLICA JARS
VENICE, CIRCA 1565, PROBABLY WORKSHOP OF DOMENEGO DA VENEZIA
£5,000
Auction: 22 October 2013 at 18:00 BST
Description
each with a globular body with short narrow neck and flat unglazed base, painted in blue, green, yellow, orange, brown, purple, black and white, on one jar the image of a plumed helmeted soldier in profile within an oval plain unadorned panel with characteristic halo of yellow made by radiating orange and white streaks, on the reverse wall three quarter bust of a woman, her hair tied in a ribbon, wearing a pearl earring looking to the right; on the other jar on a similar panel the bust of a woman in profile, her hair tied with a ribbon with a similar halo, on the reverse wall a bearded male bust in profile with ruff, doublet and buttons, all panels reserved on a dark blue ground enriched with leaves, flowers and fruit and incised with short curved strokes, narrow blue and yellow banding on the base and neck (2)
Dimensions
23cm diam, 24cm high approx
Footnote
Provenance:
In the collection of the family of the present owners since the late 19th / early 20th century. Entries in the family archives suggest that maiolica was acquired between 1894 and 1916 from three different sources: from G. Donaldson in 1894 (with two items bought from the Spitzer Collection) in 1896 and in 1897; from H.A. Peto in 1899 and from S.M. Crossley in 1908 and in November 1916.
Note:
For a similar Venetian jar in the William A. Clark collection see Wendy Watson, Italian Renaissance Maiolica from the William A. Clark collection, p. 172, cat 69. 1986. For a similar but slightly larger Venetian jar with a profile of a helmeted man and a young woman see, Timothy Wilson and Elisa Paola Sani, Le maioliche rinascimentali nelle collezioni della Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Perugia, cat.79, p.240, Perugia 2006