Dish thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Medieval & Renaissance, Room 63, The Edwin and Susan Davies Gallery

Dish

1500 - 1550 (made)
Place of origin

Venetian enamelled and gilt glass was a luxury product exported all over Italy and beyond. The glassmakers of Venice had an excellent and wide spread reputation for high-quality colourless glass and fine workmanship in gilding and enamelling.

Account books and inventories of the time sometimes mention small numbers of 'worked' or 'gilded' glass and often this is stated to have come from Venice or Murano, the Venetian island on which the glass industry was concentrated. The value of such items was often many times as great as that of ordinary glasses and bottles which were used in much greater quantities.

Sometimes dishes, goblet and jugs were decorated with the coats of arms of a particular family. Such objects were specially ordered from Venice and were used for display or occasional practical use at the table during special banquets.
Large dishes like this were used for serving food or possibly as a basin to accompany a ewer, used for hand-washing at the table.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
mould-blown, enamelled and gilt
Brief description
Dish, enamelled glass, Italy (Venice), 1500-1550
Physical description
Mould-blown, clear colourless glass, enamelled and gilt in the centre with a coat of arms.
Dimensions
  • Height: 5.8cm
  • Greatest width diameter: 36.5cm
  • Weight: 1.56kg
Measured for the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries
Style
Gallery label
This piece is painted with the coat of arms of the Gallerani family of Siena.
Object history
The arms are probably those of the Gallerani family of Siena.
Historical context
Venetian enamelled and gilt glass was a luxury product exported all over Italy and beyond. The glassmakers of Venice had an excellent and wide spread reputation for high-quality colourless glass and fine workmanship in gilding and enamelling.
Account books and inventories of the time sometimes mention small numbers of 'worked' or 'gilded' glass and often this is stated to have come from Venice or Murano, the Venetian island on which the glass industry was concentrated. The value of such items was often many times as great as that of ordinary glasses and bottles which were used in much greater quantities.
Sometimes dishes, goblet and jugs were decorated with the coats of arms of a particular family. Such objects were specially ordered from Venice and were used for display or occasional practical use at the table during special banquets.
Large dishes like this were used for serving food or possibly as a basin to accompany a ewer, used for hand-washing at the table.
Summary
Venetian enamelled and gilt glass was a luxury product exported all over Italy and beyond. The glassmakers of Venice had an excellent and wide spread reputation for high-quality colourless glass and fine workmanship in gilding and enamelling.

Account books and inventories of the time sometimes mention small numbers of 'worked' or 'gilded' glass and often this is stated to have come from Venice or Murano, the Venetian island on which the glass industry was concentrated. The value of such items was often many times as great as that of ordinary glasses and bottles which were used in much greater quantities.

Sometimes dishes, goblet and jugs were decorated with the coats of arms of a particular family. Such objects were specially ordered from Venice and were used for display or occasional practical use at the table during special banquets.
Large dishes like this were used for serving food or possibly as a basin to accompany a ewer, used for hand-washing at the table.
Other number
8354 - Glass gallery number
Collection
Accession number
5490-1859

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Record createdDecember 13, 1997
Record URL
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