Dish
Dish
1430 - 1470
1430 - 1470
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Ceramics coated with a golden sheen were first made in ninth-century Iraq. Gradually, these vessels and their technique travelled westwards. Potters in Valencia (eastern Spain) inherited these skills from their Muslim forbears, and successfully exported their wares across Christian Europe.
This dish bears the arms of an unidentified member of the Buyl (or 'Boyl' or 'Boil') family. In ?? they became Lords of Manises (south eastern Spain), which allowed them to control and encourage the pottery industry already established there.
This dish is decorated on the front with a pattern which was extremely popular on wares exported to Italy. Known today as 'Bryony flowers', it was a pattern in use as early as 1427. Fifteenth-century Italian documents, however, seem to refer to it as 'fioralixi' ('fleur-de-lys').
As is frequent for this type of ceramic, the back of the dish is also decorated. In this case, the decoration is in golden lustre with a different pattern of a series of dots forming abstract flowers and stems, with a parsley leaf in the centre.
The wealthy commissioned sets of tablewares according to their particular requirements. This large dish would have been produced in a workshop as part of a larger commission. This is not only suggested by the fact that other dishes with this design and motto survive (Fotheringham ???; Martinez Caviro??). The stencilled heraldic charges in the dish bowl also suggest these motifs had to be produced many times over. (The flower patterns and lettering are, however, drawn freehand.)
The glaze on this dish is in good condition, which suggests it was used infrequently, if at all. If displayed, it may have been propped up with others like it on a stepped structure erected during grand meals to show off the host's fine dining pieces (the structure was known in Italy at the time as a 'credenza', and in England as a 'buffet').
If ever used, it is likely this would have been a serving dish. Maria, wife of King Alfonso of Aragon (1416 - ??) wrote to Pedro Buyl in November 1454 about a commission of tableware. Among her requirements are 'large dishes to serve and carry meat' (de Osma, Apuntes, p. 12). The wide rim, deep bowl and decorated back on this example also suggest it could have been used as a cover for a similar plate when meat was brought to table.
This dish bears the arms of an unidentified member of the Buyl (or 'Boyl' or 'Boil') family. In ?? they became Lords of Manises (south eastern Spain), which allowed them to control and encourage the pottery industry already established there.
This dish is decorated on the front with a pattern which was extremely popular on wares exported to Italy. Known today as 'Bryony flowers', it was a pattern in use as early as 1427. Fifteenth-century Italian documents, however, seem to refer to it as 'fioralixi' ('fleur-de-lys').
As is frequent for this type of ceramic, the back of the dish is also decorated. In this case, the decoration is in golden lustre with a different pattern of a series of dots forming abstract flowers and stems, with a parsley leaf in the centre.
The wealthy commissioned sets of tablewares according to their particular requirements. This large dish would have been produced in a workshop as part of a larger commission. This is not only suggested by the fact that other dishes with this design and motto survive (Fotheringham ???; Martinez Caviro??). The stencilled heraldic charges in the dish bowl also suggest these motifs had to be produced many times over. (The flower patterns and lettering are, however, drawn freehand.)
The glaze on this dish is in good condition, which suggests it was used infrequently, if at all. If displayed, it may have been propped up with others like it on a stepped structure erected during grand meals to show off the host's fine dining pieces (the structure was known in Italy at the time as a 'credenza', and in England as a 'buffet').
If ever used, it is likely this would have been a serving dish. Maria, wife of King Alfonso of Aragon (1416 - ??) wrote to Pedro Buyl in November 1454 about a commission of tableware. Among her requirements are 'large dishes to serve and carry meat' (de Osma, Apuntes, p. 12). The wide rim, deep bowl and decorated back on this example also suggest it could have been used as a cover for a similar plate when meat was brought to table.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Dish (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Tin-glazed earthenware, painted in lustre |
| Brief description | C Spain |
| Physical description | Tin-glazed earthenware with blue paint and golden lustre. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by George Salting, Esq. |
| Object history | Ceramics coated with a golden sheen were first made in ninth-century Iraq. Gradually, these vessels and their technique travelled westwards. Potters in Valencia (eastern Spain) inherited these skills from their Muslim forbears, and successfully exported their wares across Christian Europe. This dish bears the arms of an unidentified member of the Buyl (or 'Boyl' or 'Boil') family. In ?? they became Lords of Manises (south eastern Spain), which allowed them to control and encourage the pottery industry already established there. Manises was already famous for its golden pottery in the late fourteenth century. The Franciscan Friar Franscec Eiximenes, in his 1383 work on civic duties, praised 'the beauty of golden Manises wares, masterfully painted [...] the popes and cardinals and princes of the world seek it specially and are amazed that such an excellent and noble work can be made from earth' (Regiment de la cosa publica, cited in de Osma, G. J., Apuntes sobre ceramica morisca, p.12). The Buyl family were therefore well-placed to take advantage of the fifteenth-century fashion for ceramics glazed with a golden sheen. Historical significance: This dish is decorated on the front with a pattern which was extremely popular, not only on the domestic market but particularly on wares exported to Italy. Known today as 'Bryony flowers', it was a design in use as early as 1427 (Caiger-Smith, Lustre Pottery, p.113. Fifteenth-century Italian documents, however, seem to refer to it as 'fioralixi' ('fleur-de-lys') (eg. the 1480 household inventory of Florentine Iacopo Ottavanti, cited Spallanzani, Maioliche Ispano-Moresche, document 344). As is frequent for this type of ceramic, the back of the dish is also decorated. In this case, the decoration is in golden lustre with a different pattern of a series of dots forming abstract flowers and stems, with a parsley leaf in the centre. |
| Historical context | The wealthy commissioned sets of tablewares according to their particular requirements. This large dish would have been produced in a workshop as part of a larger commission. This is not only suggested by the fact that other dishes with this design and motto survive (Fotheringham ???; Martinez Caviro??). The stencilled heraldic charges in the dish bowl also suggest these motifs had to be produced many times over. (The flower patterns and lettering are, however, drawn freehand.) The notion of earthenware as a luxury item for display was one that had originated in the Islamic world (Wilson, Ceramic Art, p.28); by the fifteenth century it had also been accepted in the Christian west. The glaze on this dish is in good condition, which suggests it was used infrequently, if at all. If displayed, it may have been propped up with others like it on a stepped structure erected during grand meals to show off the host's fine dining pieces (the structure was known in Italy at the time as a 'credenza', and in England as a 'buffet'). Large dishes like this can have holes in their rim, so they can be hung on a wall (see the wills cited in Wilson Frothingham, Catalogue of Hispano-Moresque Pottery, p.xxx). This example, however, has no piercings. If ever used, it is likely this would have been a serving dish. Maria, wife of King Alfonso of Aragon (1416 - ??) wrote to Pedro Buyl in November 1454 about a commission of tableware. Among her requirements are 'large dishes to serve and carry meat' (de Osma, Apuntes, p. 12). The wide rim, deep bowl and decorated back on this example also suggest it could have been used as a cover for a similar plate when meat was brought to table (although compare comments by Spallanzani, Maiolica Ispano-Moresche, pp.156-157). |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Ceramics coated with a golden sheen were first made in ninth-century Iraq. Gradually, these vessels and their technique travelled westwards. Potters in Valencia (eastern Spain) inherited these skills from their Muslim forbears, and successfully exported their wares across Christian Europe. This dish bears the arms of an unidentified member of the Buyl (or 'Boyl' or 'Boil') family. In ?? they became Lords of Manises (south eastern Spain), which allowed them to control and encourage the pottery industry already established there. This dish is decorated on the front with a pattern which was extremely popular on wares exported to Italy. Known today as 'Bryony flowers', it was a pattern in use as early as 1427. Fifteenth-century Italian documents, however, seem to refer to it as 'fioralixi' ('fleur-de-lys'). As is frequent for this type of ceramic, the back of the dish is also decorated. In this case, the decoration is in golden lustre with a different pattern of a series of dots forming abstract flowers and stems, with a parsley leaf in the centre. The wealthy commissioned sets of tablewares according to their particular requirements. This large dish would have been produced in a workshop as part of a larger commission. This is not only suggested by the fact that other dishes with this design and motto survive (Fotheringham ???; Martinez Caviro??). The stencilled heraldic charges in the dish bowl also suggest these motifs had to be produced many times over. (The flower patterns and lettering are, however, drawn freehand.) The glaze on this dish is in good condition, which suggests it was used infrequently, if at all. If displayed, it may have been propped up with others like it on a stepped structure erected during grand meals to show off the host's fine dining pieces (the structure was known in Italy at the time as a 'credenza', and in England as a 'buffet'). If ever used, it is likely this would have been a serving dish. Maria, wife of King Alfonso of Aragon (1416 - ??) wrote to Pedro Buyl in November 1454 about a commission of tableware. Among her requirements are 'large dishes to serve and carry meat' (de Osma, Apuntes, p. 12). The wide rim, deep bowl and decorated back on this example also suggest it could have been used as a cover for a similar plate when meat was brought to table. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.2054-1910 |
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| Record created | June 5, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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