Dish
ca.1540 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
A banquet proclaimed a host’s wealth. Across Europe, this was partly achieved by displaying valuable glass, ceramics and silver, like this dish, on a makeshift, stepped structure. In Italy, this was called a ‘credenza’ (meaning ‘trust’, a reference to the practice of testing food for poison), while in France and England it was a ‘buffet’. Sometimes food and functional objects were included on the bottom tier. Once dinner was over, the shelves were dismantled and the valuables locked away.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silver, parcel-gilt, embossed and chased. |
| Brief description | Silver, parcel-gilt, Portugal, ca.1540. |
| Physical description | Silver dish (one of a pair) depicting the labours of Hercules. Circular with narrow, upturned flange along the rim. The centre recessed to form the low foot. The centre section is embossed and chased with running foliage involving animals. The remainder is embossed and chased with foliage framing profile heads and scenes from the life of Herculaes. These last are as follows: The two serpents, the boar of Erymanthus, the bird of Ceryneia, the centaur, Nessus, the apples of the Hesperides and Cerberus. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Mark: CB (Unidentified) |
| Credit line | Dr W.L. Hildburgh Bequest |
| Object history | Originally catalogued as Venetian, it was the opinion of Dr. Reynolds dos Santos that these pair of dishes were Portuguese work of ca.1540. He could make no suggestion with regard to the maker, CB. (Note by Charles Oman in the Register, dated 18/10/1961). |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | A banquet proclaimed a host’s wealth. Across Europe, this was partly achieved by displaying valuable glass, ceramics and silver, like this dish, on a makeshift, stepped structure. In Italy, this was called a ‘credenza’ (meaning ‘trust’, a reference to the practice of testing food for poison), while in France and England it was a ‘buffet’. Sometimes food and functional objects were included on the bottom tier. Once dinner was over, the shelves were dismantled and the valuables locked away. |
| Associated object | M.216A-1956 (Set) |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.216-1956 |
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| Record created | May 15, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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