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Two-handled Vase with Arms of Jean Parisot de la Valette, Grand Master of the Knights of St John: C.10-1995

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Object information

Current Location: Gallery 7 (Courtauld)

Titles

Two-handled Vase with Arms of Jean Parisot de la Valette, Grand Master of the Knights of St John

Maker(s)

Production: Unknown (Probably)

Entities

Categories

Description

Earthenware, moulded and covered overall with thick tin-glaze, and painted in blue, green, yellow, and dark yellow.
The vase stands on a narrow, circular foot. Its body is ovoid and it has a short concave sided neck and everted rim. On opposing sides it has handles in the form of outward-facing, winged and bifurcated tritons, whose tails extend on either side. The foot is decorated with four applied shells alternating with four applied dolphins with heads towards the rim and tails looped up, so that the loop is attached to a flange round the short stem. The lower part of the body has a calyx of acanthus leaves. Above there is a plain horizontal band and a band of flowerheads, buds and stylised foliage in relief. Below the triton handles is a grotesque mask in relief, from the mouth of which depends a bunch of fruit and two swags, looped up by rings and ribbons to a horizontal band of laurel, all in relief. On the shoulders are four downward pointing leaves on each side. The neck is decorated with downward-pointing stylised foliage and a row of beading, and its everted rim is gadrooned. Painted on both sides of the vase, ignoring the relief ornament is an oval shield charged with the arms of Jean Pariso de la Vallette quartered with those of the Order of the Knights of St John 1 & 4, gules (shown dark yellow) a cross argent 3 & 4, gules (shown dark yellow) a ger falcon passant and a lion rampant or (shown dark yellow), supported on the dexter by a full length figure of Justice holding a sword and scales (?) and on the sinister by a full length figure of Fortitude holding a column; below on the left is a seated man wearing a turban and on the right a seated female warrior, all on a shield-shaped escutcheon with an undecipherable crest above (because it has run) and over that, a ribbon bearing the motto 'M(IL)ITEM.REXIT.ET CA.....' on one side, and on the other side, '...MILITEM.REXIT.ET.C....'. There are minor differences between the painting of the figures on the two sides. The whole is surrounded by a rosary with a pendant cross.

Notes

History note: Alessandro Basevi Collection, Genoa; New York; Trinity Fine Art, Ltd., Bruton Street, London, W1; from whom purchased.

Legal notes

Given by the Friends of the Fitzwilliam to commemorate the Directorship of Simon Swynfen Jenkins, aided by grants from the National Art Collections Fund (now The Art Fund) and the Regional Fund administered by the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Measurements and weight

Height: 56.6 cm
Width: 39.5 cm

Place(s) associated

  • Faenza ⪼ Emilia-Romagna ⪼ Italy

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1995) by The Friends of the Fitzwilliam Museum

Dating

16th Century
Renaissance
Circa 1557 CE - 1568 CE

Note

The arms of Jean Parisot were 'party per pale, first gules a ger falcon argent, second gules, a lion rampant or'. On his tomb the arms are supported by a ger falcon and a lion rampant, not by figures as they are here.

School or Style

Renaissance
Mannerist

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Decoration composed of high-temperature colours ( blue, green, yellow, and dark yellow)

Materials used in production

Tin-glaze
Earthenware

Techniques used in production

Moulding : Earthenware, moulded and covered overall with thick tin-glaze, and painted in blue, green, yellow, and dark yellow.
Tin-glazing

References and bibliographic entries

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.10-1995
Primary reference Number: 80745
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Tuesday 24 October 2017 Last processed: Friday 8 December 2023

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 (2024) "Two-handled Vase with Arms of Jean Parisot de la Valette, Grand Master of the Knights of St John" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/80745 Accessed: 2024-11-05 12:25:55

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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/80745 |title=Two-handled Vase with Arms of Jean Parisot de la Valette, Grand Master of the Knights of St John |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-05 12:25:55|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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