This tazza and cover is one of about seventy surviving pieces made in the mannerist style fashionable at the French court around the middle of the sixteenth century. Known as Saint-Porchaire ware, these pieces were most likely made in or near to Paris rather than in the small potting village of Saint-Porchaire, in the Poitou region of western France, which was well known for its surrounding deposits of uncommonly lightweight and pale clay. The sophisticated design of this object is inspired by contemporary metalwork. Although the maker of Saint-Porchaire remains unknown, the famous sixteenth-century, French ceramist, Bernard Palissy (ca.1510-1590), is often associated with their production. Palissy began his career in the Saintonage, near to the Poitou, and would have been familiar with the much-coveted clay of this region.

Saint-Porchaire ceramics are notable for their rich and delicate decoration. This tazza, like other known pieces, bears an armorial device (the royal arms of France), indicating that these objects were intended for a refined and courtly market. The identity of the fashionably-attired young woman, whose portrait appears on the reverse of the cover, is unknown. Ceramic objects of this quality were highly-valued possessions, intended for display and use on important occasions. The resemblance to porcelain, which was regarded as an extremely precious material, would have given Saint Porchaire ceramics added prestige.