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On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Fruit Dish

ca. 1520 to 1525 (made)
Place of origin
Deruta (made)

Painted in blue and copper green and in pale ruby and brassy yellow lustre, with a monk playing an organ, a tonsured boy standing by singing from a book, a dog or a sheep howling to the left, and to the right, a man in a cap blowing the organ-bellows. Above the manual is a sheet of music with the inscription. A vase of flowers to the left of the organ. On the back, scale-pattern enclosing lozenges.

Object details

Categories
Ceramics
Maiolica
Object type
Fruit dish
Materials and techniques
Tin-glazed earthenware
Earthenware
Tin Glaze
Brief description
Tazza, painted tin-glazed earthenware. Dish on foot (fruttiera) depicting monks at an organ, made in Deruta, about 1520 to 1525
Physical description
Painted in blue and copper green and in pale ruby and brassy yellow lustre, with a monk playing an organ, a tonsured boy standing by singing from a book, a dog or a sheep howling to the left, and to the right, a man in a cap blowing the organ-bellows. Above the manual is a sheet of music with the inscription. A vase of flowers to the left of the organ. On the back, scale-pattern enclosing lozenges.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 27cm
  • Height: 5.5cm
Marks and inscriptions
'Adi celo el mio lameto'

Translation
Hear, O Heaven, my lament
Gallery label
(16/07/2008)
Fruit dish
Probably made in Gubbio about 1525
Inscription: :"Adi celo el mio lameto"

Tin-glazed earthenware

C.2183-1910 Bequeathed by George Salting
Credit line
Bequeathed by George Salting, Esq.
Object history
Zschille Collection. Zschille Sale Cat., Christie's, 1 June 1899, Lot 86.
Production
H. Colin Slim of the University of California wrote in in 1984 identifying the music as Bartolomeo Tromboncino's Frottola, "Audi [or Odi] cielo il mio lamento" first printed by Antico at Venice in 1520, but surviving earlier in an arrangement for organ printed by Antico in Rome in 1517. For further detail see L.M. 1273

J Mallet, 25.07.2000
Dish on foot. Red and gold lustre. The overpainting can be removed. Inscribed with :"Adi celo el mio lameto"
Bibliographic references
  • Rackham, Bernard. Catalogue of Italian maiolica. London : H.M.S.O., 1977.
  • (CerLib) Literary Material 1273: Information supplied by H. Colin Slim - dish depicts an organist reading from and playing the cantus to Bartolomeo Tromboncino's 'Audi cielo il mio lamento", a frottolo first printed as such by Antico at Venice in 1520, but surviving earlier in an arrangment for organ printed by Antico at Rome in 1517. The shorter monk at the right sings from a sheet which contains a clumsy version of the first four notes of Tromboncino's bass part to his frottolo, transposed an octave higher. Whether the organist's left hand (hidden from view) plays some other voice part of the frottolo cannot be known, but the divergence in the frottolo resulting from the shorther monk's misinterpretation may be the cause of the clear anguish of the howling dog on the far left.
  • Biancamaria Brumana, 'Mouton a confronto con Tromboncino?', Girolamo Diruta e il suo tempo, Bolletino della Deoutazione de storia patria per l'Umbria, vol. CIX, Perugia, 2012
  • Rackham, Bernard. Catalogue of Italian Maiolica, London : H.M.S.O., 1977
Other number
448 - Rackham (1977)
Collection
Ceramics Collection
Accession number
C.2183-1910

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Record createdJuly 16, 2008
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O161967/fruit-dish/
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