Ewer with cover, made in Venice, about 1500, painted enamels and gilding on copper

Ewer with cover: Green enamelled circular foot decorated with a gilded scale pattern, the base of the foot surrounded by a blue rim. The shaped lower edge is blue with gilded stars. Foliage patterns on the belly with strips of white and red enamel applied over the gilding. The upper part of the jug is ornamented with a large band of gilded flames and fleurs-de-lys. Green spout and handle with foliage pattern. The handle is pierced with two holes. The inside of the jug is white, with fading gold stars.
A blue and green cylindrical knob tops the conical cover. The reverse is blue with a continuous pattern of gold stars which are well preserved.

The technique of painting in enamels on copper was developed during the 15th century, and by the end of the century, Venice had developed its own characteristic style. Vessels were made of thin copper (1-2 mm), usually of a lobed or gadrooned form, and coated with a layer of milky white enamel. The intense, almost translucent colours applied over this base layer included dark blue, emerald green and deep red, with some areas left white for contrast. Finally, the surface was decorated with dense patterns of tiny gold stars, commas, flowers, and leafy scrolls.

Venetian enamel-workers may have been influenced by lustre ceramics from Valencia, which were imported to Italy in large quantities between the 14th and 16th centuries. These Spanish wares made use of dense, geometric and foliate patterns, shimmering in lustre on a white ground. They also imitated metalwork effects, such as gadrooning, so their decorative motifs could be adapted relatively directly for use on metal dishes such as this. Similar ribbed and gadrooned forms were also employed in Murano cups of the period, made from enamelled white glass, which could also have been an influence on Venetian enamel-workers. The fluting of the glass was derived from Byzantine models, and ultimately from Near Eastern mould-blown glass. The use of continuous patterns of gold scrollwork to cover all surfaces of the object may also have come from Middle Eastern design. Venice had close connections with the Islamic world in the Renaissance, and inlaid metalwork covered in foliate arabesque patterns was imported to the city from the Middle East.

Comparative pieces in other collections include the Kunstgewerbemuseum, Berlin, inv. K5141; the Österreichisches Museum für angewandte Kunst (MAK), Vienna; the Musée national du Moyen Age et des thermes de Cluny, Paris, inv. R250; the museo Poldi Pezzoli, Milan, inv.543; the Hermitage, St. Petersburg; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, inv. 17.190.559; and another ewer was also in the former Pierre Berge Yves Saint Laurent collection.

This type of ornamental enamel-work was fashionable in Venice during the late 15th and 16th century and was applied to vessels intended for both secular and liturgical use. This ewer may have been a part of a set used by the Italian nobility for formal dining. A banquet would have been conceived as a spectacle. The most splendid tableware was displayed on tiered sideboards or ‘credenze’ against the walls of the room. Because of its material and decoration, it is unlikely to have been used. Rather it was reserved for displaying the wealth of its owner and honouring guests. Numerous similar ewers are displayed in public collections, suggesting it was a quite common production. A covered jug is however very rare.

7353&A-1861