Italian, Deruta, circa 1510

The Adalbert von Lanna Collection, Prague;
sold Rudolph Lepke, Berlin, March 1911, no. 567;
The Blumka collection, Sotheby's New York, 9th-10th January 1996, lot 5

This vibrantly coloured dish has some typical glaze close to rim and two shallow flat chips. Starting at the rim at 12 and 1 o'clock there are two hairline cracks, one of which has a minute associated restored chip at the rim. A small area of the figure's hair has been touched up.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This vibrantly decorated dish can be compared to a small group of maiolica wares once ascribed to Siena but are now generally accepted as being Deruta. One such dish is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, acc. no. 1975.1.1037, published by J. Rasmussen, op. cit., no. 34. The dish features similar details to the present lot such as a bust profile, in this case of a young woman, silhouetted against a half-shaded blue reserve, and a similar complex 'candelieri/grotteschi' border of animals and foliage scrolls. A further comparable dish painted with an armorial and initials 'C*B', perhaps those of Cristoforo Bourbon di Petrella is in the Wallace Collection, London, see the A.V.B Norman, Catalogue, London 1976, pp. 72-74, C24.

RELATED LITERATURE
J. Rasmussen, The Robert Lehman Collection Vol. 10, New York 1989 , pp. 58-69, no. 34