Plate thumbnail 1
Plate thumbnail 2
+3
images
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Not currently on display at the V&A
On short term loan out for exhibition

Plate

1510 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

During the Renaissance a distinction was drawn between fine art and the decorative arts. Maiolica painters were regarded as artisans who copied or freely followed printed sources or designs provided by major artists, but some regarded themselves as artists in their own right and signed their work. This dish shows a maiolica painter at work, magnificently dressed and watched by wealthy patrons. It was made at Cafaggiolo, a small potters' workshop set up in the grounds of a Medici villa near Florence to satisfy the needs of its aristocratic owners. It was probably painted by Maestro Jacopo, one of the most skilled maiolica painters of his time, here clearly making a statement about his aspirations as a fine artist and about his noble patronage.
It was once mistakenly thought that the artist shown was Raphael (1483-1520), painting a maiolica dish for his important patrons.

Delve deeper

Discover more about this object
read An A–Z of Ceramics As peculiar as some of the pieces themselves, the language of ceramics is vast and draws from a global dictionary. Peruse our A–Z to find out about some of the terms you might discover in our incredible galleries.
interact Piccolpasso's treatise on maiolica Piccolpasso's treatise 'Li tre libri dell'arte del vasaio' (The three books of the potter's art) is an extremely important manuscript – the only one of its kind – that explains and illustrates the different stages in the making of maiolica ware in mid-16th-century Italy.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Tin-glazed earthenware, painted in colours
Brief description
Tin-glazed earthenware dish (maiolica) painted in colours with an artist decorating a plate, Cafaggiolo, about 1510.
Physical description
Tin-glazed earthenware dish (maiolica) painted in colours with an artist decorating a plate, marked 'SP' in monogram crossed by a paraph.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 23.9cm
Object history
Purchase. Formerly Bernal Collection. Bernal Sale Catalogue, Christie & Manson, 5th March 1855, p. 159, lot 1848 plate opposite p. 148. Before that in the collection of the Duke of Buckingham at Stowe, sold in 1848.
Historical context
During the Renaissance a distinction was drawn between fine art and the decorative arts. Maiolica painters were regarded as artisans who copied or freely followed printed sources or designs provided by major artists, but some regarded themselves as artists in their own right and signed their work. This dish shows a maiolica painter at work, magnificently dressed and watched by wealthy patrons. It was made at Cafaggiolo, a small potters' workshop set up in the grounds of a Medici villa near Florence to satisfy the needs of its aristocratic owners. It was probably painted by Maestro Jacopo, one of the most skilled maiolica painters of his time, here clearly making a statement about his aspirations as a fine artist and about his noble patronage.
Summary
During the Renaissance a distinction was drawn between fine art and the decorative arts. Maiolica painters were regarded as artisans who copied or freely followed printed sources or designs provided by major artists, but some regarded themselves as artists in their own right and signed their work. This dish shows a maiolica painter at work, magnificently dressed and watched by wealthy patrons. It was made at Cafaggiolo, a small potters' workshop set up in the grounds of a Medici villa near Florence to satisfy the needs of its aristocratic owners. It was probably painted by Maestro Jacopo, one of the most skilled maiolica painters of his time, here clearly making a statement about his aspirations as a fine artist and about his noble patronage.
It was once mistakenly thought that the artist shown was Raphael (1483-1520), painting a maiolica dish for his important patrons.
Bibliographic references
  • Hildyard, Robin. European Ceramics. London : V&A Publications, 1999. 144 p., ill. ISBN 185177260X
  • Liefkes, Reino and Hilary Young eds. Masterpieces of World Ceramics in the Victoria and Albert Museum London: V&A Publishing, 2008. p.64
  • Baker, Malcolm, and Brenda Richardson (eds.), A Grand Design: The Art of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London: V&A Publications, 1999.
Other number
307 - Rackham (1940)
Collection
Accession number
1717-1855

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Record createdNovember 25, 2002
Record URL
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