Dish
Original title: Dish
kurzbeschreibung
Unlike many maiolica plates of its day, this one by Fra Xanto Avelli da Rovigo, made around 1530–35, packs a dense crowd of figures into a wide-open landscape rather than isolating a single scene. It is tin-glazed earthenware and measures 47 cm across.
Description
Figures in antique-style dress are scattered over the whole surface, moving along a river. Some sit in boats, others stay on land, and together they read like a festive procession. Mountains, trees and a columned temple step back into the distance. Even light brings out the strong colours and fine detail. The layout follows Renaissance principles: clear spatial order and a carefully tuned palette.
Context
Fra Xanto Avelli da Rovigo ranks among the most distinctive maiolica painters of the Renaissance and worked mainly in Urbino. He became known for narrative scenes that often draw on classical myth and history. The plate was made at a time when maiolica counted as a luxury in Italy, produced for well-off patrons. The exact subject cannot be pinned down, but it fits squarely within the istoriato painting of those years.
Impact
Bright colour and rich detail pull the eye into the action. Balanced light and a carefully thought-out arrangement give the piece a calm, harmonious feel. Its classical motifs lend it an air of historical grandeur.
Technique
Maiolica works by coating an earthenware body with tin glaze and then painting it. The colours go onto the still-unfired glaze and fuse with it in the kiln, which yields vivid hues and a glossy surface.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)