Red earthenware covered with a white slip and incised and carved decoration painted with splashes of green and yellow-brown, under a clear glaze. Italian, probably Western Emilia-Romagna, about 1600 to 1620

Two pairs of moulded lion masks on each side. Painted in copper greeen with slight touches of greyish blue and yellowish brown. Decorated with foliage on linked interlacing stems against a cut-away ground.

Given by Lady Lister

Rackham states that this 'pilgrim bottle is of uncertain origin' and dates it to 1500-20.
A similar costrel (tav.XV) is illustrated in Reggi, Emilia-Romagna (see References) but is taller, less broad and with floral decoration that fits the shape better than in this one.
Another (cat.249) is broad like the V&A one but is taller. This is attributed to possibly western Emilia-Romagna and the second half of the 16th century.
Another costrel (cat.274) which is more like (tav.XV in form) is described as western Emilia-Romagna, beginning of the 17th century.
Another one (cat.281) has the exact form and decoration as the V&A one but is missing its neck. This is described as western Emilia-Romagna, beginning of the 17th century.
In the Po book (see References), cat. 434, there is a similar flask in Mantova which is attributed to 'basso-lombardo o emiliana' and dated 16th to 17th century.
Also, in the same book there is (cat.429) a flask of similar shape and decoration to the V&A one which is in a private collection in Mantova and is also described as 'basso-lombardo o emiliana' but dated to the middle or second half of the 16th century.

Western Emilia-Romagna

C.361-1919