Skip to main content

Maiolica two-handled vase: EC.21-1939

An image of Two-handled vase
View image details

Terms of use

The low-resolution images published on this Website are made available under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (CC BY-NC-ND). For more details: Fitzwilliam Terms of Use

This licence does not include any images of works that are still in copyright. Artistic copyright extends from the life of the artist to 70 years from the end of the calendar year in which the artist died.

Download this image

For further information on use of images or to license a high resolution version, please contact our image library who can discuss terms and fees.

Alternative views

An image of Two-handled vase
An image of Two-handled vase
An image of Two-handled vase
Current Location: Gallery 6 (Upper Marlay): case 2, shelf A

Titles

Maiolica two-handled vase

Maker(s)

Potter: Unknown

Entities

Categories

Description

Buff earthenware, tin-glazed on the exterior and interior. Painted in dark blue, orange, and a little pale green.
The vase stands on a circular spreading foot, rising into a short stem with an annulet in the middle. Just beyond the junction of the stem and body is a circular rib. The lower part of the vase is hemispherical, and it then rises vertically to the shoulder. The neck expands towards the carinated rim, and has on each side a handle which scrolls inwards at the top and outwards at the bottom.
On each side of the neck is a garland of leaves and berries, one enclosing a bust of a youth, the other a bust of a girl, both in profile to right and flanked by formal plants on a dotted background. Below the shoulder are horizontal bands of formal leaves and geometrical ornament. The top of the foot is encircled by a garland of leaves and berries on a dotted ground, and the edge by a border of lozenges. The handles are decorated with lozenges and horizontal stripes.

Notes

History note: Dr Alfred Pringsheim; Sotheby's, 7 June 1939, Catalogue of the renowned collection of Italian majolica, the property of Dr Alfred Pringsheim of Munich (1850-1941), lot 22.

Legal notes

Purchased with the Glaisher Fund

Measurements and weight

Height: 23.5 cm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bought (1939-06-07) by Sotheby's

Dating

15th Century, Late
16th Century, Early
Renaissance
Circa 1490 CE - 1520 CE

Note

This charming vase was attributed to Siena by Falke and Chompret, and was reattri¬buted to Deruta by Bernard Rackham (1876-1964), Keeper of Ceramics at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Two-handled vases were being made in Deruta by at least 1491 when one labelled `DERVTA' was depicted in an illumi¬nated letter at the begin¬ning of the Deruta catasto (tax record).

School or Style

Renaissance

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Decoration composed of high-temperature colours ( dark blue, orange, and a little pale green)
Foot Diameter 10.3 cm
Rim Diameter 11 cm
Across Handles Width 21 cm
Body

Materials used in production

Tin-glaze
Earthenware

Techniques used in production

Tin-glazing

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: EC.21-1939
Primary reference Number: 78823

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Monday 25 March 2024

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Maiolica two-handled vase" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/78823 Accessed: 2025-12-05 11:04:07

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/78823 |title=Maiolica two-handled vase |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-05 11:04:07|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:

https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-78823

Bootstrap HTML code for reuse

To use this as a simple code embed, copy this string:

<div class="text-center">
    <figure class="figure">
        <img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/aa/aa19/EC_21_1939_281_29.jpg"
        alt="Maiolica two-handled vase"
        class="img-fluid" />
        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Maiolica two-handled vase</figcaption>
    </figure>
</div>

Sign up for updates

Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...

University of Cambridge Museums logo
Cambridge City Council logo
Arts Council England Logo
Research England logo