Current Location: In storage
Titles
Mucius Scaevola before Lars Porsenna
Maker(s)
Painter:
Avelli, Francesco Xanto
Lustre painter:
Andreoli workshop
Printmaker:
Caraglio, Giovanni Giacomo
(After)
Entities
-
Dish
- shallow dish on low foot
Categories
Description
Maiolica dish on a low foot, painted in polychrome with Mucius Scaevola before Lars Porsenna.
Earthenware, tin-glazed overall; the reverse pale beige. Painted in blue, green, turquoise, yellow, orange, beige, brown, manganese, and black; red and golden lustre. Shape 78. Circular with shallow upturned sides and flat centre, standing on a low foot.
Mucius Scaevola before Lars Porsenna. Mucius Scaevola stands on the right holding his right hand over flames burning on an altar, behind which stands a soldier and a nude boy, pointing towards Lars Porsenna, who sits on a throne beneath a draped curtain, his feet resting awkwardly on a foot stool. On the right side there is a tree and in the background two more trees and six tents. A black band and a yellow band encircle the outer edge. In the middle of the back there is a lustred swirl and an inscription in dark blue: `.1533./Mucio che la sua des/tra errate cuoce./Nella. . Deca d Tito Livio/Fra: Xato .A./da Rouigo./i Urbino.' (Mucius who scorches his erring right hand.In the Decade of Tito Livius Francesco Xanto Avelli da Rovigo in Urbino.); on the sides, four complex swirls of rd and gold lustre and a yellow band on the edge.
Notes
History note: Alexander Barker; Sir Francis Cook, Bt; Wyndham F. Cook; Humphrey W. Cook; Christie's, 7 July 1925, Catalogue of an important collection of objects of art of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, the property of Humphrey W. Cook, Esq., and removed from 8 Cadogan Square, S.W., being a portion of the celebrated collection formed by the late Sir Francis Cook, Bart., lot 76; W.H. Woodward; Henry Harris; Sotheby's, 20 June 1950, Catalogue of fine Italian maiolica from the well-known collection of the late Henry Harris, Esq. . . ., lot 117; Marmaduke Langdale Horn (1890-1953).
Legal notes
M.L. Horn Bequest
Measurements and weight
Diameter: 29.2 cm
Height: 5.5 cm
Acquisition and important dates
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed
(1953-10-22)
by
Horn, Marmaduke Langdale
Dating
16th Century, second quarter
Renaissance
Production date:
dated
AD 1533
Note
Probably lustred in Gubbio in the workshop of Maestro Giorgio Andreoli
The figures were adapted from the Marriage of Alexander and Roxana, engraved by G.G. Caraglio after Raphael (Illustrated Bartsch, 28, p. 201, no. 62).
School or Style
Renaissance
People, subjects and objects depicted
Components of the work
Decoration
composed of
high-temperature colours
( blue, green, turquoise, yellow, orange, beige, brown, manganese, and black)
reduced pigment lustre
( copper appearing red and silver-yellow appearing golden lustre)
Materials used in production
Tin-glaze
Earthenware
Techniques used in production
Moulding
: Earthenware, tin-glazed overall; the reverse pale beige. Painted in blue, green, turquoise, yellow, orange, beige, brown, manganese, and black; red and golden lustre.
Tin-glazing
Inscription or legends present
- Text: 1533./Mucio che la sua des/tra errate cuoce./Nella. . Deca d Tito Livio/Fra: Xato .A./da Rouigo./i Urbino.
- Location: In the middle of the back
- Method of creation: Painted in dark blue
Inscription present: rectangular with cut corners and red printed border
- Text: 'Mutius Scaevola/before Porsenna./____ / "Alexander" on/"V & A" Dish.' with `3' in pencil to the right of `on'
- Method of creation: Inscribed in blue-black ink and in pencil
- Type: Label
Inscription present: rectangular
- Text: typed 'To an Urbino plate on foot, painted with/Alexander by Xanto and lustred at Gubbio./ Signed and dated 1533./From the Cook Collection 1925.' and in blue-black ink ,`Lot 76 (£273)'.
- Method of creation: Typed and in blue-black ink
- Type: Label
Inscription present: rectangular
- Text: From the Engraving by CARAGLIO after RAPHAEL. See/Victoria & Albert Museum/1748-1855 (Plate 38 Maiolica)/The Central Group is reversed/Both dated 1533
- Method of creation: Inscribed in black ink
- Type: Label
References and bibliographic entries
-
Catalogue of Italian Majolica and other Pottery at 8 Cadogan Square
page(s): p. 20
-
Catalogue of an important collection of objects of art of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, the property of Humphrey W. Cook, Esq., and removed from 8 Cadogan Square, S.W., ... collection ... of the late Sir Francis Cook, Bart., 7-10 July 1925
-
Catalogue of a Collection of Pottery belonging to W.H. Woodward
page(s): pp. 32-3
-
Catalogue of fine Italian maiolica from the well-known collection of the late Henry Harris, Esq. . . .
-
Corpus della maiolica italiana, II, Le maioliche datate dal l53l al l535
page(s): p. 23
-
Francesco Xanto Avelli and Petrarch
page(s): p. 229
-
Italian Maiolica and Incised Slipware in the Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge
page(s): pp. 345-6
-
Italian Maiolica in the Collection of the National Gallery of Victoria
page(s): 94-7
Related exhibitions
Identification numbers
Accession number: C.12-1953
Primary reference Number: 71591
Stable URI
Audit data
Created: Saturday 6 August 2011
Updated: Tuesday 30 April 2024
Last processed: Wednesday 14 May 2025
Associated departments & institutions
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Applied Arts
