Pilgrim Bottle
Unknown Artist
c. 1540
Medium
tin-glazed earthenware (maiolica)
Dimensions
34.6 × 19.4 × 12.4 cm
Classification
Ceramic
Department
Decorative Art and Design
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift from J. H. Wade
Accession Number
1923.914
About this artwork
During the Italian Renaissance of the 1400s and 1500s, nobles and merchants eager to express their wealth and sophistication ordered ceramics for dining, display, and storage. Known as maiolica, because it resembled the brightly colored ceramics from the Mediterranean island of Majorca, these ceramic vessels were covered with a tin glaze that provided an opaque white surface on which colorful decoration could be painted.