Plate
ca. 1520
Medium
Maiolica (tin-glazed earthenware)
Dimensions
Overall (confirmed): 2 1/8 × 10 5/16 in. (5.4 × 26.2 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Pottery
Culture
Italian, Caffaggiolo
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of V. Everit Macy, in memory of his wife, Edith Carpenter Macy, 1927
Accession Number
27.97.13
Tags
About this artwork
This ceramics-pottery exemplifies the artistic traditions of Italian, Caffaggiolo. Created ca. 1520, it demonstrates the maiolica (tin-glazed earthenware) technique characteristic of its era.
Art Historical Context
This exquisite maiolica plate, created around 1520 by the enigmatic Vulcan Painter in Caffaggiolo, Tuscany, embodies the Renaissance pinnacle of Italian ceramics. Hailing from the workshops of Caffaggiolo—renowned for their vibrant tin-glazed earthenware—this shallow dish (2 1/8 × 10 5/16 in.) showcases the lustrous, opaque white glaze that allowed for bold, colorful overglaze decoration fired at low temperatures. The technique, perfected in 15th- and 16th-century Italy, transformed humble earthenware into luxurious tableware rivaling painting on canvas. Adorned with motifs of birds and armor...