Drawing, Design for a majolica dish: a scene from classical history or mythology, with a young soldier on his knees kissing the hands of an old man; the border decorated with putti, by Battista Franco, Italian School, pen and ink and wash, ca. 1510-1561

A scene from classical history or mythology, with a young soldier on his knees kissing the hand of an old man; the border decorated with putti

PROVENANCE J. Richardson Sr (Lugt 2184); transferred from the Art Museum, 1864

'Vasari states in his life of Franco that Franco made 'Infiniti designi' for the Duke of Urbino's majolica factory at Castel Durante, including designs for a service presented to Charles V and another given to Cardinal Farnese, brother-in-law of Duke Guidobaldo II. Clifford and Mallet have partially reconstructed from drawings and surviving pieces of majolica a 'History of Troy' service with which this drawing is probably connected. No dish corresponding with the central design has been found, but the rim was used to decorate a dish formerly in the Richard Zschille collection (Clifford and Mallet, p.407, no.15, fig. 71). Clifford and Mallet identify the old man as King Priam and the kneeling warrior as Hector taking leave before fighting Achilles, or Paris asking permission to marry Helen.'
Extract from Peter Ward Jackson, Italian Drawings, vol. 1, 4th to 16th century, 1979.

Historical significance: Franco's drawings remained in use in local maiolica workshops in Castel Durante and Urbino. The fact that no dish corresponding with the central design has been found, but the rim was used to decorate a dish formerly in the Richard Zschille collection may indicate that the maiolica painters used the designs in a flexible manner.

In 1545–6 Franco frescoed the vault of the choir of Urbino Cathedral with the Assumption of the Virgin (destroyed); the work disappointed Guidobaldo II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino, because it failed to equal the quality of Franco’s preparatory drawings, and he delayed its payment. Thinking Franco’s skills were better suited to working on a small scale, the Duke commissioned him to make designs for maiolica produced at Casteldurante; a typical example is a plate with Moses Striking the Rock (V&A).
Vasari says that Guidobaldo 'thought his drawings, when carried out by those who made excellent earthenware vessels at Castel Durante and who had much used Raphael of Urbino's engravings and those of other able men, would be very effective. So he made Battista do a large number of drawings which when executed in that, the finest earthenware in all Italy, turned out marvellously well. Such great quantities of these vessels were therefore made and of so many kinds that they would have sufficed for and don ehonour to a royal service, and the painting on them would not have been better had they been done in oils by the finest artists...Duke Guidobaldo sent a double service of this ware to the Emperor Charles V and a service to Cardinal Farnese, brother of Signora Vettoria his wife'.

Reason For Production: Commission

2404