Workshop of Maestro Giorgio, Italian, Gubbio, circa 1515-1520

Probably Alfred Beit (1853-1906);

Otto Beit (1865-1930);

Alfred Lane Beit (1903-1994) (Sotheby’s, London, Beit Sale, 16 October 1942, lot. 59, illustrated; ‘M. Harris’);

probably Maurice Harris (1890-19..), director of the Spanish Art Gallery, London;

Fernand Adda (1890-1965) (Collection d’un grand amateur, Paris, Palais Galliera, 29 November- 3 December 1965, no. 597, illustrated).

A. Van de Put, Catalogue of the Collection of pottery and porcelain in the possession of Mr Otto Beit, London, Chiswick Press, 1916, no. 802, pl. XXIV-b;

B. Rackham, ‘La raccolta Beit di maioliche italiane’, in Bollettino d’Arte, February, 1932, pp.341-349, fig. 5;

B. Rackham, Islamic Pottery and Italian Maiolica. Illustrated Catalogue of a Private Collection, London, Faber and Faber, 1959, no. 386A (repr.).

London, Exhibition of Italian Art 1200-1900, Royal Academy of Arts, 1930, no. 946-E

The indisputable rarity of the present bowl is sustained by its inclusion in a specific group of maiolica works that demonstrate features of both centres of lustre production, Gubbio and Deruta. While the profile of the Renaissance woman, of bella donna type, is a typical feature in Deruta, as is the overall design of the palmettes and acanthus on the deep blue ground, the shape of the bowl and, above all, the richness of the combination of gold and red lustre is uncharacteristic of Deruta, but is considered the hallmark of Gubbio production. Additionally, red lustre was employed in Deruta for a limited period around 1500 and seems to have been eliminate shortly thereafter. Rackham (op. cit., 1959, p. 108) concluded that “perhaps [this dish is] the work of a Deruta painter employed at Gubbio.” Furthermore, documents exist showing that Deruta potters were employed by Mastro Giorgio, such as Paolo da Deruta (Wilson, op. cit., pp. 402-3), which explains the often erroneous attribution to Deruta.

The decoration here is inspired by the classical style and classical decorative motifs. The woman in profile is wearing a toga, in the antique manner, which is affixed to her shoulder by a brooch. The model for the profile bust was inspired by the works of major painters of the day including Perugino (1448-1523) (fig. 1) and Pinturicchio (1454-1513). The decoration and palette, including the intense red lustre, share close affinity, with two ewer basins, one in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, published by Wilson (Italian Maiolica and Europe: Medieval and Later Italian Pottery in the Ashmolean Museum, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 2017, n. 107, p. 244) which he attributes to Gubbio or Deruta, and one in the British Museum London (T. Wilson, D. Thornton, Italian Renaissance Ceramics, A catalogue of the British Museum Collection, London, 2009, vol. II, n. 269, p. 458).

RELATED LITERATURE

T. Wilson, The Golden Age of Maiolica Painting, Umberto Allemandi, 2019, pp. 402-403

We are grateful to Professor Timothy Wilson and Mrs. Greta Kaucher for their invaluable contributions to the research on this entry.