Dish

1874-1877 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Deep dish or plateau, tin-glazed earthenware, painted in colours with a female bust portrait surrounded by an ornamental border on a blue ground.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Tin-glazed earthenware, painted, glazed
Brief description
Plate, tin-glazed earthenware, painted in colours, made by Torelli pottery, Florence, Italy, 1874-1877
Physical description
Deep dish or plateau, tin-glazed earthenware, painted in colours with a female bust portrait surrounded by an ornamental border on a blue ground.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 34.0cm
Object history
Bought from the art dealer William Campbell Spence, Florence in 1877. William Campbell Spence (1849-1927 living at 6, Via Micheli, Florence, Italy) was the son of William Blundell Spence (1814-1900) a painter, art collector and dealer.
Subject depicted
Bibliographic reference
Frescobaldi Malenchini, Livia ed. With Balleri, Rita and Rucellai, Oliva, ‘Amici di Doccia Quaderni, Numero VII, 2013, The Victoria and Albert Museum Collection’, Edizioni Polistampa, Firenze, 2014 pp. 146-150, Cat. 131 131. Plate with a portrait of a woman and grotesque decorations 1874-1877 Jafet Torelli (1833-1898) maiolica painted in colours diam. 34 cm Torelli/ Firenze inv. 703-1877 purchase: William Campbell Spence, £ 2.5.0 Bibliography: unpublished The Renaissance grotesques motifs that decorate these plates are interpreted according to the eclectic tastes of the era and are combined, in one case, with a portrait that resembles that of Bianca Cappello in the manner of Bronzino and, in another, with a playful Cupid shown against a backdrop of clouds. These three rare examples were made by Jafet Torelli in Florence after he had left the Ginori factory. Torelli had studied to be a sculptor at the Fine Arts Academy in Florence and worked at Doccia from 1865 until 1873 where he held various positions including that of chief modeler (BALLERI, RUCELLAI 2011, p. 88-89). His activity as an independent potter is documented by these three plates and by a few signed pieces that occasionally appear on the art market (see, for example, 500 YEARS OF DECORATIVE ARTS 2011, lot 104 and BRITISH AND EUROPEAN CERAMICS, 2012, lot 152).Although the range of colours used is cooler and more limited than that used at Doccia – gold lustre, for example, is never used – and the quality of the painting is not always as good as the Ginori products, Torelli’s ceramics received numerous awards at the International Exhibitions (DE GUBERNATIS 1892, p. 520-521). These plates, which were acquired by the museum in 1877, can be considered among the finest examples known. O.R.
Collection
Accession number
703-1877

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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