Dish (coppa)
Unknown Artist
ca. 1530–40
Medium
Maiolica (tin-glazed earthenware)
Dimensions
Diameter: 10 9/16 in. (26.8 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Pottery
Culture
Italian, Urbino and Gubbio
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.1128
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant maiolica dish, known as a *coppa*, hails from the vibrant ceramic workshops of Urbino and Gubbio Renaissance Italy, around 1530–40. Measuring nearly 11 inches in diameter, it tin-glazed earthenware—a where a tin-opaque glaze created a smooth, brilliant white surface ideal for vivid painted decoration. Maiolica like this was prized as luxury tableware for affluent households, blending functionality with artistry during Italy's High Renaissance. The dish likely features lively scenes of men, women, and the mischievous Cupid, evoking themes of love and courtship popular in the era's...