Tazza, lead-glazed fine earthenware, France, Saint-Porchaire or possbly Paris region, ca. 1540

Inlaid earthenware, known as Henry Deux ware. Circular base and thick stem, pale yellow or cream-coloured ground, with bands of inlaid arabesques and other patterns in dark brown inlay.

At the time of acquisition, this tazza was known as 'Henri Deux ware' and was thought to have been made in Oiron near Thouars, about 1535. Subsequently, it was reattributed as Saint-Porchaire, about 1540.

A similarly shaped cup with cover is in Chateau d'Ecouen (see Refs.). It is likely that this tazza also had a cover originally.
This tazza belongs to a rare class of pottery of which fewer than seventy eexamples are known. The coats of arms and emblems on some of the pieces, combined with archival devidence, sugges tthat thos type of ware was produced over a period spanning the years from about 1524 to 1570. The mannerist style is typical of French mid-sixteenth century court fashion and bears close resemblance to the designs of Philibert de Lorme and J.A. Ducerceau. They are made of lightweight pipe clay similar to the tyoe used by Bernard Palissy. The complex manner in which the pieces are built up from different components in several tiers and layers is more typical of contemporary metalwork and architecural design than pottery.Although it has traditionally been thought that this ware was made in the small village of Saint-Porchaire in western france, some research has suggested Paris or somewhere close to the capital as the place of manufacture. But still could be Saint-Porchaire.

14-1864