Pesaro or Casteldurante, late 16th century/beginning of the 17th century.

Stand for a large water ewer "bacile di versatore“.
The centre with depiction of the antique mythological scene "Apollo und Daphne" within three circular bands with grotesque decoration in Compendiario style with depictions of satyrs, birds and scrollwork in between antique medallions on a white ground.

D 45 cm. Restored.

Provenance: Important private collection of an Italian aristocrat.

“Belle Arti” export license available.


Exhibition and literature:
La Via Della Ceramica Fra Umbria e Marche, E. Sannipoli (pub.), Maioliche Rinascimentali da Collezioni Private, exhibition catalogue, Gubbio 2010, p. 296.

This extraordinary majolica plate was presented in 2010 in the exhibition in Gubbio (see above), discussed in detail in the accompanying exhibition catalogue and attributed to a workshop from Pesaro or Casteldurante.
The catalogue bases the attribution on similarities in the grotesque decoration from Casteldurante (cf. John V. G. Mallet, Compendiario Grotesque, in: Italienische Fayencen der Renaissance, Nuremberg 2004, p. 181-197) and from Pesaro (cf. T. Wilson, Maioliche del tardo Rinascimento dipinite a grottesca, in: Fimantiquari Arte Viva, 7, 1995, p. 33-93).
There are also parallels in this plate to the grotesque painting of Orazio Fontana in Urbino. Accordingly, it could have been part of a service that was commissioned either for Duke Guidobaldo II della Rovere of Urbino (see C. Hess, Iatalian Maioilica. The Getty Museum, 1988, p. 113) or for Alfonso II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara. Cf. D.Thornton /T.Wilson, Italian Renaissance Ceramics. Catalogue of the British Museum collection, 2009, no. 240, ill. 240; W. Watson, Italian Renaissance maiolica from the William A. Clark Collection, p. 155.