Dish with The Discovery of Achilles
ca. 1555–60
Medium
Maiolica (tin-glazed earthenware)
Dimensions
Overall (confirmed): 2 3/8 × 17 in. (6 × 43.2 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Pottery
Culture
Italian, Urbino
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1904
Accession Number
04.9.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite maiolica dish, titled *The Discovery of Achilles* and produced around 1555–60 in the renowned Fontana workshops of Urbino, Italy, a pivotal moment from Greek mythology.ributed to the influential artist Battista Franco, it depicts clever unmasking of the hero Achilles, hidden among the daughters of King Lycomedes on the island of Skyros to the Trojan War. Odysseus him by presenting weapons amid women's finery, surrounded by figures of men, women, horses in dynamic poses. The large, shallow form—measuring just over 17 inches across—served as a luxurious centerpiece for Renaissance...
About the Artist
Fontana workshops|Battista Franco ( |Italian) · |1510 – |1561
|Italian, Venice ca. 1510–1561 Venice