UC-NRLF
B ^ sfifi DbE
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>-
OAK-LEAF JARS.
BY THE SAME AUTHOR.
VNIFOKM WITH THE PRESENT WOllK.
THE ORIENTAL INFLUENCE ON THE CERAMIC ART OF
THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE, with illustrations. 1900.
THE ART OF THE PRECURSORS. A STUDY IN THE
HISTORY OF EARLY ITALIAN MAIOLICA. with illustra-
tions, igoi.
THE MAIOLICA PAVEMENT TILES OF THE FIFTEENTH
CENTURY. WITH illustrations. 1902.
In preparation.
TTALIAN ALBARELLI OF THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY,
CASE
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
PREFACE.
^T^HE primitive work of the Italian maiolicanti illustrated in a
previous volume — such o£ it, at least, as a diligent search
had enabled me to discover amongst that which Time had spared —
sufficed to convey a fairly adequate conception of the native pottery
at the beginning of the XVth century. The representation is,
perhaps, not complete on all points, although on some it permits
conclusions which can be taken as final. We see, for instance,
that the technique was then in an experimental stage and that the
manipulation betrays the immaturity of youth, but of youth
plenteous in promise and of abundant energy. There is the same
inherent vitality which in another direction characterized the work
of Giotto and Orcagna. These sturdy, vigorous vase-forms also
contained the germs of a principle, soon to be fruitful of the
happiest results, namely, that common utensils may by grace of
design be elevated into things beautiful and precious in themselves.
This, indeed, was one of the fundamental canons of the early
Italian Renaissance, and none more readily than the potter of the
period accepted it as the basis of his practice. Hence we are
aware of a marked advance in the decorative qualities of the wares
produced after the first two or three decades of the century. Along
r7iiGG52()
Vlil PREFACE.
with a surer technique we find an ornamentation more varied and
imaginative and a palette relatively richer.
It was to be expected that the maiolica fabricated under the
impulse of the new movement would not at once displa}' any very
pronounced difference of style. Fresh motives of design were
sought after and eagerly assimilated, yet in their classification the
wares can scarcely be separated by sharp lines of demarcation.
One alone stands forth from the rest possessing an individuality
which denotes a distinct type, and since it has excited the admira-
tion of the connoisseurs and collectors it seems the most fitting
wherewith to commence the illustration of the output of the second
quarter of the century. It has, moreover, had the good fortune to
be preserved in more numerous examples than its fellows.
Ceramic classification being based on date and local derivation,
their determination will, naturally, take a prominent place in an
enquiry dealing with the history of a particular ware. In the
present case the evidence as to the former category authorises
definite statement within certain limits; whilst respecting the
latter it is scanty and uncertain. As usually happens in similar
circumstances, it has been attempted to supply the lack of proof
with plentiful assertion — nowise to the furtherance of the end
desired. For the question of locality is precisely the one which
may not be settled except on evidence admitting no possibility of
doubt. But it is not always practicable to recover evidence dating
back nearly five centuries. Some of the most interesting work of
the Renaissance is unlocated and anonymous, none the less has its
correct historic position been confirmed. So may it bq with the
ware discussed in the present volume, can its relationship with
PREFACE. IK
others, its contemporaries, be satisfactorily establii^hed. In the
following pages I have endeavoured to show that as to some of
the ornamental motives the kinship with other wares, safely ascrib-
able to the same period, does exist, and by the recovery of further
specimens of the same time, reasonably to be expected, additional
analogies may then be found.
Italian maiolica owes its special distinction to its racial origin,
the locality of manufacture being, after all, an accident. It is
from the affinities of design, of technique and execution, joined to
a just appreciation of the influences, near and distant, which have
moulded and shaped its form and fashion, that any one of its many
phases stands revealed in its true essence, and it is only by the
careful study of these particulars that its veritable history may be
rightly traced.
H. W.
INTRODUCTION.
^ I ^HERE is pro1)al)ly no phase of Italian ceramic art about
which such a diversity of opinion has been expressed, re-
specting its derivation and date, as that represented by the group
of vases ilhistrated in figs. 1-41. When the first examples came
before the notice of collectors it was apparent that they must
be classed with Italian maiolica. Their remarkable decorative
qualities were at once recognised, but their principle of design pre-
sented small analogy with other known forme of the art. Even
their technical properties were unlike those of the maiolica with
which the connoisseurs were familiar. No mention of the vases
was found in the histories of pottery. All the traditions of their
manufacture were lost. Their story was a blank. Under condi-
tions alfording such wide scope for conjecture it is hence scarcely
surprising that expert opinion was not unaniznous, and that one of
the most difficult problems which has come before the student of
ceramic art has not received ready solution.
The discovery of the ware dates from the middle of the last
century — that is to say, it then acquired what may be termed an
official status, by obtaining a place in a national museum. As a
matter of fact, the few remaining pieces (they have been calculated
by Dr. Bode to number about fifty) have been preserved rather
xii INTRODUCTION.
1)y (rood luck iban by good heed. Some have been found in old
Italian country houses by dealers in works of art ; others, formerly
bclonfrino- to a service of pharmacy jars, had been put away and
I'orfrottcn in a store-room at the Hospital of Sta. Maria Nuova, at
Florence ; others, again, had remained in Florentine palaces and
were seen there in past years by Dr. Bode, as he informed the
writer. Thus, one or other of the jars may have occasionally
arrested the attention of a wandering art-student, or have found
affectionate appreciation from a descendant of some illustrious
family who had inherited, along with the ancestral treasures of his
house, a spark of that sublime passion for art which had been the
glory of his forefathers. But practically all record of the ware
had vanished, and numerically it had sunk to a fraction of what
there are valid reasons for believing was its original output ; so
that the probabilities pointed ominously to its speedy disappearance,
nuremcmbored and unchronicled, like a large proportion of the
artistic production of its epoch. Happily, that peril is now
averted, since having found a home in the ceramic sections of the
principal European museums, its continued preservation is at last
assured.
The return to life of this long forgotten relic of the past
occurred in the year 1856 ; the spot was not on its native soil, but,
of all places in the world, on the Quai Voltaire. It was there
discovered by Sir J. diaries Robinson, who was then searching
Europe for treasures of Mediaeval and Renaissance art to form the
National Collection at South Kensington Museum, of wliieh he
was the Art Superintendent. The actual example was the well-
known Lion Jar of the Museum (fig. 1), which Sir Charles found
in the shop of a dealer named Evans. The entry of the vase in
the Museum Inventory is in these terms : — " 25(52 — 1856. Large
Majolica two-handled oviform vase, painted with two lions within
a diaper in manganese colour. Ancient Moresco-Italian war^.
Bought £1 125. Evans. Paris. Diam. 14 in., H. 14^ in.
(Feby. 1856)." The word;- in italics were added later and are in
INTRODUCTION. XIU
the handwriting o£ Sir Charles *. The earliest published reference
to the vase known to the writer is the description in Mr. Fortnura's
South Kensington Catalogue, wherein it is stated : "it is perhaps
the most ancient example of Italian glazed ware with painted
decoration which the IMuseum possesses. There is no clue by
which we can fix the locality of its manufacture, or its precise
date, but a certain Oriental character about the design would show
the influence, perhaps, of Moorish potters " f. A similar statement
appears in the '^ Museum Handbook,^' published two years later.
Attention having thus been called to the ware, the Italian dealers,
who had found several pieces in their search for the national
maiolica, offered them to their clients. The first purchasers appear
to have been the foreign painters in Italy, who regarded the jars
from a purely decorative and artistic point of view. Then they
were acquired by Museum Directors, who, naturall}'-, recognised
their historic interest as examples of early maiolica. The Museum
of Sevres, true to the traditions of its original intention, added
three specimens to its collection. Of the metropolitan museums,
Berlin secured one of the large jars, brought from Italy by Dr. Bode;
M. Molinier found two pieces in London for the Louvre ; South
Kensington in 1889 supplemented its Lion jar by a small collection
made in Italy by Mr. Fairfax Murray, some of these being trans-
ferred to Dublin ; and lately the British Museum added to its
previous limited series the well-known jar, fig. 10, and a large
Lion jar, fig. 21.
The designation of the ware given by Sir Charles Robinson,
* The foiu- precedico- entiies in the Inventory of the same date also refer to
quattrocento maiolica and include the two well-known plates inscribed: (1) "El
mio core e ferito p[er] voe " ; (2) " E non se po mangiare senza fatiga." The
others are a pair of tine inscribed pharmacy vases. The lot was bought of the
above-mentioned Mr. Evans. It rarely happens to a Museum Director to
enter such an imposing- maiolica quintet in the program of a single day's
performance.
t See 0. Dbury E. Foktnum. Catalogue of the Maiolica in the South
Kensington Museum. 1873. p. 640.
c2
X4V INTRODUCTION.
tho chief authorily on Itnlir<n maiolica, wa-s doubtless n;onorally
accepted by students of ceramic art. That it did not include the
name of any particular place as the locality of the pottery implied
that on this point the Art Superintendent reserved his opinion,
perhaps deeming it unnecessary to do more than suggest its deri-
vation and affinity in an Inventory entry. But this reticence M'as
not shared by the collectors, and did not at all meet tho viev/s of
the Italian dealers ; the latter especially being aware of the value
of a definite and, if possible, a popular name for their wares. No
useful purpose would be served in seriously discussing the various
appellations the pottery has received, one need onl}' remark that
the ware, emphatically the child of the Italian quattrocento, has
been affiliated with the mature productions of the cinquecento ; it
has been expatriated and denationalized, and has even been made
to don the " shadowM livery of tho burnish'd sun," by being
classed with the Moorish wares of Southern Spain. This last heroic
effort to cut the knot was possiljly suggested by Sir Charles'
reference to " Morosco-Italian." The foreign influence dominating
the ornamental motives of the vases was plain and obvious to tho
writer of the Inventory, but the idea was perhaps not so readily
grasped by those who had not his knowledge of the evolution of
ceramic art. They could understand a vase being Italian or
Hispano-Moresque, but this talk of " Moresco-Italian " was for
them merely confusing. On the highest authority the ware w^as
asserted to be " Moresco," then, as plain matter-of-fact men, they
determined to eliminate the disturbing Italian element and call it
" Hispano-Moresque." It was a comfortable solution of a [)erplex-
ing problem. There appears to have been general acquiescence,
nt least for a time ; one museum exhibiting the jars in its Hispano-
Moresque section and thus inscribing them in its catalogue. It is
needless to say the fantastic theory was soon abandoned, and tho
■ware was henceforth definitely assigned to Italy.
Amongst the attributions wdiich followed was one whieh was
unquestionably ingenious, although it appear? to have been a pure
IKTRODUCTIOSr. XV
invention, basod on no tangible evidence whatever. It has been
stated above that the pharmacy vases o£ the Hospital of Sta. Marin
Nuova^at Florence, were once in this ware ; some of the jars show
the crutch, the device of the Hospital, on their handles. Other
specimens, also pharmacy jars, have painted on them a ladder
surmounted by a cross, the device of the Hospital of La Scala, at
Siena *. It being thus known that the ware had been in use at
the groat Florentine hospital, Sta. Maria Nuova, and assumed,
though not proved, that the same had been the case at the similar
institution at Siena : it was, therefore, considered likely that the
pottery had been made at some place betweern the two cities.
Oastel Fiorentino fulfilled this condition, so that name was given
to the ware by a Tuscan museum Director, as the writer was
informed, whoso artistic judgments were not infrequently influenced
by sentiments of local patriotism. In this case it does not appear
to have been considered necessary to prove even the former exist-
ence of a local pottery at the small Tuscan town. Hypotheses of
this nature may, by the remotest chance, put the enquirer on the
right track, but it is sheer trifling to publish them unsupported by
strong presumptive evidence.
The Castel Fiorentino theory vanishing into thin air, its place
was taken by another which showed considerable shrewdness on
the part of its inventors. As the former rested mainly on a
sentimental basis, this seems to have been started entirely on com-
mercial principles by the Italian dealers. These astute men of
business had long known the word " Cafaggiolo '' was a nam©
* There was, however, iu the XVth century a hospitttl kuown as La Seala
at Florence. It was founded by members of the PoUiiii family and by them
placed under the management of the Scala hospital at Siena. In 1535 it was
united with the hospital degli luuocenti at Florence, and the building, wliich
still stands iu the Via delta Scahi, was given to the nuns of S. Martiuo : it is
now a Reformatory. The Scala arms, similar to those painted on the Maiolica^
may yet be seen in several parts of the edifice. See G. Caiiocci. S. Marlino,
Iticordo Sturico, 1898.
XVI INTRODUCTION,
to conjure with. Its mention had facilitated the sale of many a
doubtful piece. The time was when the magic syllables had a singular
fascination for some collectors. It produced the same effect upon
them as that " blessed word Mesopotamia '^ had on the devout old
Irishwoman ; and in this particular they were humoured by the
dealers to the top of their bent. But the glamour which had once
environed the Cafaggiolo cult had become dimmed and faded. It
was the old story :
" Credette Cimabiie ne la pintnra
tener lo caiupo, ed hora ha Giotto il grido."
Now the cry is Monte Lupo, that is if we are to believe those
authoritative documents (though not always infallible), the
auctioneer's sale catalogues. How long it will hold the field is yet
to be seen.
There remains to be considered a discussion of the ware by Dr.
Wilhelm Bode, which, coming from the pen of an authority on the
art of the Italian Renaissance, is of genuine value, both on account
of its appreciation of the artistic design of the pottery and for the
cogent and erudite arguments with which the author supports his
opinions as to its place in the history of Italian maiolica *. As will
be seen from the title of the study, the distinguished Director of
tho Kaiser Friedrichs Museum terms the ware Florentine. He
finds in it precisely those qualities of vigorous design and potent
colour, of forcible presentation and skilful execution which were
characteristic of the many-sided artistic activity of Florence at the
time of the early Renaissance. It was, therefore, only natural that
Dr. Bode, familiar with its multifarious production and well versed
* See W. Bode. Jalirbuch der Koniglich Preussisclicn Kunstsammluugen.
1898. The article is reproduced in a volume dealing with a retrospective ex-
hibition of Renaissance and other art held at Berlin in the j'ear 1898, and which
contained in its ceramic section an interesting series of vases : see Altiloreutiner
Mfijoliken. Austellung von Kiuiitwerkeu des Mittelalters uud der llonaissance.
Berlin, 1899.
INTRODUCTION. XVIl
ill its loro^ should bo inclined to think there was no more prohable
place for the pottery to have been made than at Florence itself.
The correspondence of spirit and ideal aim was manifest, and
regarding the decorative motives on the vases, there will be no
difficulty in pointing out their prototypes on one or other of the
monuments within the city. For example, seeing the Florentine
lily on the jars, figs. 3G, 37, one recalls the frequent representations
of the device in stone or bronze in the quattrocento monuments ;
perhaps the best known are on the shield and on the pedestal of the
Marzocco. That famous figure of a lion may also be remembered
in connection with the lions on the jars ; not that one is known to
be depicted on them in the same attitude (although this may have
happened on a specimen that has perished), and, without comparing
the handiwork of the humble potter with a masterpiece by Donatello,
it may be fairly claimed that both are conceived in the same spirit.
The Marzocco is in the round, but for a representation of a lion
rampant in low relief and also similar in style to those pointed on
the pottery, we may cite the fine Florentine tournament-shield at
South Kensington Museum. In another direction analogies of the
colour scheme and system of design on the jars with the orna-
mental bordering of the table linen in use at Florence at the period
are unmistakable. An illustration occurs in Ghirlandajo's fresco
of the Last Supper at the Ognissanti. The table-cloth has one of
these deep blue borders whereon are painted griffins and fabulous
animals on either side of conventional trees ; the resemblance of
colour and method of design with the vase painting suggests that
both might almost have been executed by the same hand. Similar
affinities can be traced in other forms of Florentine art ; hence
Dr. Bode's hypothesis is not without warrant, but rests on
an intelligent appreciation of the situation. It is therefore
deserving of careful investigation with a view to the discovery
of definite evidence, which, however, at present does not exist,
or rather, none such in the shape of contemporary documents
containing reference to the locality of the ware has yet bec^u
Xviil INTRODUCTION.
found *. Siuco, then, it is impossihlo to produce tliis cUncljing
evidence, it is, perhaps, a little premature to assign the ware to a
particular city, but all students will agree that Dr. Bode^s article is
an interesting and suggestive contribution to the history of early
Italian ceramic art.
Awaiting the discovery of definite evidence, the most promising
source whence trustworthy information relating to this phase of
early Italian maiolica may be obtained is in the study of the
technical and artistic qualities of the ware itself, or such remains
of it as can be found. By this means its relationships and affinities
may perhaps be determined, and it would be singular if a certain
number of facts referring to date and locality were not discovered
on which a satisfactory classification could be based ; although
not permitting imqualified assertion on every point. Beginning,
therefore, with the technical procedure, which, while simple and
unpretentious, shows generally the work of potters fairly skilled
in the manipuhition of their materials. The "body" has been
well levigated, its original colour, however, is not clearly distin-
guishable on account of its being stained by foreign substances, such
as ointments and electuaries which the jars were intended to hold ;
it may in some cases have been white, but is generally a pale buff.
The stanniferous glaze of the enamelled ground is not always
evenly applied, the potters evidently finding difficulties in pre-
venting it from running in the largest jars. Its colour ranges from
a toned white to an ivory, and sometimes to a pal« pinkish tint;
occasionally these are all seen on the same vessel, thus giving a
* It is possible tliat records relating to the ware may exist amongst the
ItaUan state or notarial archives. They are only, however, likely to bo made
known by the instrumeutaluty of trahied archivists. The present writer was
once shown the muniment room containing the deeds and accounts of the
Hospital of Sta. Maria Nuova. Amongst these were possibly receipts referring
to the payment of our identical pharmacy jars. It was tantalizing to think that
on one of those well-filled shelves might be resting the dem-ed documents. At
the same time a glance was sullicient to show that, for anyone not practised to
th3 task, the search would ho hopelebs.
INTRODUCTION-. XIX
pleasant variety to the ground. The ornament is freely and firmly
drawn, always in a purplish manganese, and is then frankly painted
in a deep cobalt-blue, which in some instances approaches a blue-
black; its special quality being that it stands in high relief; it
may perhaps have been applied as a smalt. In the best pieces tho
blue is lustrous and powerful in tone, but in what there is good
reason for believing are the later examples — those of the decadence
of the art — the blue is washed on thinly and is then pallid in tint.
Occasionally a small passage of copper-green occurs, as in tho
representation of the crutch on the handles of the Sta. Maria Nuova
jars (see figs. 5 & G) ; still more rarely a touch of pale yellow is
introduced into the colour scheme. A few examples of the ware
are known whereon the oramentation instead of being in cobalt is
in a deep copper-green, whilst still retaining the same technique
and system of design (see fig. 35).
Respecting the shapes of the vessels, it is interesting to note
that we are introduced to new forms not found in the more
primitive pottery. At the same time it must not be forgotten that
as the known examples of early maiolica are extremely limited in
number, the absence of a particular shape in a given class is no
proof that it did not once exist in that class. Similarly, the re-
lative proportion of the various kinds of vessels now known cannot
be held to correspond exactly with their original output. Still,
under a certain reserve, several deductions may be permitted.
Thus in this ware, the Oriental character of which is so generally
admitted, we find examples of a specially Eastern vase, the albarello
(its name being probably derived from the Arabic, el barile), which
suggests that the period of its production was that of a marked
development of the Oriental influence, and likewise that the
potters had begun to aim at more ambitious work than that repre-
sented by the homely boccali and scodelli. An indication of the
advance in manipulative skill is furnished by the dimensions of the
larger jars, which would probably have been unmanageable to
potters whose practice had been confined to the ordinary table
XX INTRODUCTION.
utensils o£ a previous generation. We are, however, on firmer
ground on turning to the painted ornamentation and examining
its design and execution. In the delineation of the motives derived
both from the vegetable and animal kingdom the advance is
unmistakable. The sprays of oak-leaves composing the diapered
ground are conventional in treatment, and properly so, but they
portray a distinct type about w^hich there can be no two opinions as
to its intention, neither is there any fumbling or uncertainty in
their drawing *. So too with the animals_, which are not simply
four-footed creatures, the species is seen at once and its character-
istic points cleverly denoted. Neither are the birds mere ab-
stractions, even a particular variety of a species will be sometimes
delineated, as the demoiselle crane in fig. 22. As to the repre-
sentation of the human figure, a glance at the personage in fig. 47
of "The Art of the Precursors" and those in figs. 10 & 12 of the
present volume will show that the artistic faculty displayed in tlie
latter is of an entirely different order to that possessed by the
painter of the other.
There is one ornamental motive on the jars deserving especial
attention, both because it offers a clue in the search for the
derivation of the art and likewise on account of its unique position
in Italian maiolica ; this is the vertical band often placed beside
the handles of the vessels and which serves as a kind of outside
border to the central motives of ornamentation (see fig. 21). The
motive is an adaptation from Oriental decorative design, standing
for the bands of inscription so frequent in its ceramic art. In
the finest specimens of Eastern pottery the ornamental Arabic
* The same method of drawing oak-leaves on the vases is found in other
forms of the art of the period. Thus, in an illuminated MS. Ricettano in the
King's Library at Turin there is a drawing of a man climbing an oak tree,
some of its leaves resembling those on our jars. See Piero Giacosa. Magistri
Salernitani. 1901. plate 13. Also on an early Sieuese painting of a \'irgiu
and Child belonging to the writer, the stamped gold background contains,
amidst its ornamentation, leaves shaped in the same manner as on the jars.
INTRODUCTION. Xxi
characters are sometimes beautifully and accurately written. In
other cases they are often illegible, the painters then possibly
being illiterate, have simply drawn strokes resembling letters.
This happened in the East, but in the West the Cufic inscriptions
were occasionally deliberately conventionalized into ornamental
motives repeated on a band. An example was pointed out by the
late M. de Longperier in the case of a ciborium in the Louvre,
whereon the motto of the Kings of Granada " tea la rhaleh ilia
Allah " — there is no conqueror but God — is so treated *. In the
present instance the Cufic characters are reduced to their simple
elements ; it is easy, however, to understand that a vase painter
ignorant of Arabic might conventionalize the inscription on, for
instance, the Moorish vase at the Palermo Museum into something
similar to the bands on our jars.
As to other manifestations of the adaption of Eastern methods
and ornamental motives, it is scarcely necessary to remind the
reader who may have seen the illustrations in the first volume of
thepresent series (that on the Oriental Influence) of such peculiarities
as emphasizing the principal ornamental motive by isolating it on
the white ground, or the system of covering the bodies of animals
with conventional patterns. Again, the fabulous creatures of the
Eastern potter are reproduced in the jars, as in figs. 19 and 20 : so
also with the animals placed vis h vis. The piled on colour which
adds force and brilliancy to ceramic decoration is derived from
Eastern practice, as the powerful red in the so-called Rhodian
wares, which is loaded inside a dark outline (see fig. 60, no. 4),.
This relief ornament is also found in the Oriental slip-wares having
a transparent coloured overglaze. Instances of thickly painted
cobalt are not infrequent in XlVth century Oriental wares, yet it
is rare to find them with the impasto quite so high as on the jars.
The only blue ornament known to the writer which rivals them in
this particular is from Sivas, but it is of a later period. On the
* See A. DE LoNGrEiiiER. De I'emploi des caracteres Arabes daus I'orua-
mentation. Revue ArchiSulogique. Tome ii. 1845-46, 2^ partie.
XXU INTRODUCTION.
Spani.sli-Mooribli wares a loaded cobalt is micominon, altlioii^li an
occasional example may sometimes be seen.
There being no reasonaljle doubt as to the pronounced Oriental
influence perceptible in the vases^ the question naturally arises
whence the influence was derived — whether directly from the East,
or whether it came by way of Moorish Spain ? It has been seen
that Sir Charles Eobinson termed the ware " Morcsco-Italian/'
which implies that he saw in it affinities with the Hispano-Moresque
wares. At the time he wrote his note in the Museum Inventory
little was known in Europe of s early Oriental ceramic art, what of
it had survived still remained in the East. Examples of late
Persian wares were to bo found in collections, but their style of
ornamentation bears but the remotest resemblance to the early work,
whether Persian, Egyptian, or Syrian. The Hispano-Moresque
lustred pottery was, however, familiar to collectors of the middle
of the last century, although it was not generally recognized that
the derivation of the art was Oriental, that is, that the potters were
Syrians, Egyptians, and perhaps even Persians, who settled in
Spain after the Arab conquest ; and, as the evidence of recent
excavations show, their successors until the massacre and expulsion
of the Mussulmans continued the art on much the same lines as
their kindred in the lands of their common origin. Respecting the
" potting " of the jars, it is not unlike the Moresco technique, but
it was doubtless the analogy of the ornamentation which w^as the
chief factor in determining Sir Charles' opinion. A few passages
of Moresco ornament are oiven in fios. 59 & 60, from which it will
be seen that there are distinct points of resemblance in the decora-
tive motives of the two forms of ceramic art. The execution in the
Spanish-Moorish wares is much the more dainty and facile, the
touch is more precise, and the lines, wayward and capricious as
they seem, are more refined, which is indeed not surprising when
it is remembered that the Moresco painters had some centuries of
practice behind them. But the ornamental motives — sprays of
leaves on a ground sown with spirals and dots — are the same, and,
INTRODL'CTION. Xxiii
as in Iho jars, thoy constituto the diaper fiold on wliicli the central
subject is displayed. It will be noticed tbat the leaves— probably
adapted from the jasmine — bear a cert^ain likeness to the oak-leaves
of the jars (espeeially those in blue, rej-resented in the illustrations
by a dark tint), but the imitation has not been that of a slavish
copyist ; it is rather that of the learner who desired to emulate the
example of the master. It was an auspicious circumstance for the
Italians, that at the dawn of their artistic awakening their ceramic
art for a time came under the influence of the similar art which had
achieved such splendid results daring the brilliant Oriental civili-
zation implanted in Western Europe, and which, to the loss of
Western culture, was so soon to be obliterated.
The Moresco ornament is generally in lustre, saving tlie occa-
sional passages in deep blue*; both are usually pahited without
* A few Moresco albarelli have come down to tlie proscnt day v.-herenn the
ornamentation is wholly in blue. In technique they are allied to the wares
usually termed " Valer.cian," the decorative motives and their execution being
similar to those on the Moresco lustred vessels : there is no clue to their exact
date, but it is not improbable the fubrication may have extended over a
lengthened period. Their former numerical relation to the lustred pieces can
only be matter of conjecture, siiice their present scarcity may be accounted for
from the flict that in themselves they have not the dazzling brilliance of their
more famous kindred, and therefore would not have been so carefully preserved.
But in association with the lustred pieces they possess a distinct artistic value,
.supplying the note of deep blue, which combined with the radiant gold of the
latter, unite to compose the most splendid harmony in the chromatic scale.
That such was their original intention may be surmised, b:it there is no proof
that they were thus arranged on shelves or sideboards. 'I'lie lustred morcico
vessels mentioned above as containing passages of potent blue are few compared
with those only in lustre, heuce the potters may have produced these albarelli
in blue to fullil wh(it was felt to be an jesthetic necessity. The examples
known to the writer are one in the South Kensington Musouu], three in the
collection of Baron Bordonaro, one belonging to Mr. F. Wi.ldemar Fuchs
(iig. Gl), and two to himself, which are now exhibited at South Kensington
Museum. If specimens of the ware reached Italy in the XVth century they
would possibly have been of an earlier fabric than -those at present known. In
the.sf the cobalt, alth.iugli frank and i-aintetl with a full brush, show.s little signs
XXIV INTRODUCTION.
being previously outlined ; sometimes, however, the portions in blue
are outlined in lustre colour, of which an example is given in
fig. 50, no. 1. The secret of the lustre paint was not known in Italy
until probably the end of the XV th century, at the same time its
decorative qualities were very highly valued there. Evidence can
be cited (of which the illustrations will be given later on) that the
Italians when copying Hispano-Moresque vases ornamented with
blue and gold leaves, as on the albarello in the Van dor Goes Trip-
tych, at Florence, substituted manganese for the gold leaves of the
originals. It may therefore be inferred that manganese is used as
a substitute for lustre in the outlines of the ornament on the present
ware. This absence of lustre on the jars, or on any of their allied
wares, tends rather to upset the notion that, although made in Italy,
the makers were Orientals, or Moors from Spain. There is record
of the migration of Orientals to Italy in the XVth century, and it
is even likely that some were potters, but there is no proof that it
is from this source that the Italians learnt the secret of the lustre
process. It is even more likely that they acquired the knowledge
abroad, since a Sienese potter, Galgano de Belforte, in 1514 went
to Spain and worked in the potteries of that land, impelled by the
same motive that prompted Antonello da Messina to seek employ-
ment as a journeyman in the workshop of Jan van Eyck *.
On no example of Italian maiolica which, judged by any accepted
standard, will have preceded the jars, has an inscribed date yet
been discovered. The earliest known maiohca date is " 1466/'
painted on the plaque in the shape of a testa di cavallo shield,
bearing the device of Galeotto II. Manfredi (1410-88), at the Hotel
of impasto ; but the artist of the jara may have taken the suggestion of jewelled
incrustation en cubochon in the blue from some Oriental source previously
referred to. The bird delineation in Mr. Fuchs' albarello, may be compared
with that on the Damascus tile illustrated in fig. 28 of the " Oriental Influence
on Italian Maiolica."
* See Langton Douglas. The Nineteenth Century. No. 283, Sep. 1000.
p. 447.
INTRODUCTION. XXV
Cluny Museum, poo fig. 50 *. The plumage and legs of the bird
are painted in blue-black, thickly laid on, although the impasto is
not quite so high as in some of the jars ; the beak and claws are
yellow. The delineation is that of a practised draughtsman, sure
of his hand and master of his material. In the way o£ frank
execution and forcible expression the artist had nothing to learn.
It will be seen that there are certain points of general resemblance
in the art of the jars and of the shield, the latter, however, shoNving
a more advanced practice than the majority of the jars. The
question then arises, how long previous to the above date had
this style of ornamentation been in use in Italy ? As so little of
the maiolica of the time before 1466 has survived, the examples
which might serve for comparison are extremely limited. Fortu-
nately, however, there remains ornamentation on another form of
Italian ceramic art which is very like that on our ware, namelv,
the Caracciolo tile-pavement in the church of San Giovanni a
(!arbonara, Naples : see figs. 1, 3, & 4 of the preceding volume
on the Maiolica Pavement Tiles. The general resemblance of
the animals and of the leaves in the vases and the tiles is apparent,
so also are other analogies, as the letter M as a decorative motive,
together with subordinate details, which show that both belong to
the same epoch, though not necessarily to exactly the same date.
The tiles may be contemporaneous with figs. 40 & 49 and with a
Faventine boccale illustrated by Prof. Argnani in " Ceramiche e
Maioliche Faentine.^^ 1889. It was shown that the tiles dated
from about the year 1440 ; hence it may be taken for certain that
examples of the class of vases under consideration were then in
course of production, and it is possible they may have included
more advanced work than that on the tiles ; still the twenty-six years
between the two dates is not, at a vigorous epoch, too short a time
to account for the more masterly painting on the Faventine shield.
* See F. Argnani. II Rinascimento delle Ceramiclie ]\Iaiolicate in Faenza.
1898. vol. i. p. 180, note. The author states that the cock is carvt d on a stone
disk containing other devices of Galeotto, in the Faenza Museum.
XXVI INTRODUCTION.
The period of (lovolo})mcnt as well as the longevity of styles of
decoration on ceramic art vary considerabl3\ In some cases a ware
may remain almost stationary for centuries, in others its duration
will not cover a generation. In the present instance two at least o£
the jars seen by the writer have survived which re[)rcsent the ware
in an extreme stage of slovenliness and decrepitude. The remain-
ing decorative motives suggest little that is precise as to date.
The crutch and the ladder indicate the ware was used at the
hospitals of Sta. Maria Nuova and La Scala, but they were the
devices of those institutions during the whole of the century, and
are so now. The crown belongs to no particular time, neither
does the lily, the former being found in Uispano-Moresque pottery,
but its exact time is not certain, and the latter in Faventine wares
as early as the end of the trecento and continuing through the
quattrocento. At first glance the two men on figs. 10 & 12,
which are evidently represented in the costume of the period,
appear to promise some definite information, but similarly draped
personages are delineated in the frescoes, cassonc fronts, and
illuminated MSS. belonging to a large portion of the century,
and executed in various parts of Italy. It would seem, therefore,
that at present little more can be said on the subject of date, than
that the ware certainly had its origin in the first half of the
XVth century and was continued into the second half, possibly
till its end.
The Cluny shield raises likewise a second enquiry, which has to
do with the locality of the pottery. The catalogue of the IMuseum
classes the shield with Cafaggiolo ware, but as it was compiled
during the Cafaggiolo craze the error is not surprising ; it is, how-
ever, not likely to be maintained now that it is known that in 1406
the Tuscan pottery did not exist. Probably few students of the
present day will dispute Prof. Argnani's attribution of the shield
to Faenza. It is natural, then, to enquire if any other wares pos-
sessing the characteristic qualities of our jars were produced at
Faenza during the XVth century. On turning to Prof. Argnani's
INTRODUCTION. XXV U
second work we find figured on Plate IX. a bocoalo with two other
pieces having the ornamentation outlined in manganese and painted
thickly in blue on a white stanniferous ground ■^. The leaf
ornament on the boccale is designed in the manner of that on the
jars ; on one of the other pieces, a fragment of a boccale, the
Manf redi arms are painted in blue, the lilies being in manganese :
a fragment from a similar boccale is given in fig. 60, no. 4. The
third illustration is a large albarello which has dentated leaves,
spots, and the V-shaped ornament containing a touch of colour (the
same which is frequently seen in early maiolica, and is derived
from the Oriental wares). The reader is further referred to two
blue-and-white boccali of the same style in Plate VII. of Prof. Arg-
nani's preceding volume ; on one of the vessels occurs a dog
similar in style to the animals on the jars, but without their
manganese outline f. The writer has not heard of any of the jars
or fragments of them having been found at Faenza, but had there
been any of the latter, unless they were " wasters," they would
not prove Faventine fabrication. At the same time with respect
to fragments found in this city, being such an important centre of
maiolica manufacture it is probable that faience remains turned up
in excavations would represent native wares. Unfortunately, the
excavations at Faenza have not been for purposes of research, but
have chanced merely in the course of repairing or demolishing
ancient buildings. However, the fact of there existing known
examples of Faventine wares possessing unmistakable affinities of
design and technique with the jars, shows that there is some
likelihood that they also are from the same source : and so long as
no similar wares are forthcoming which can be unquestionably
proved to have been produced at any other city, it follows that the
tangible evidence at present within our reach points to the ware
being classed with those of Faenza.
* See F. Argnani. op. cit. 1898. vol. ii. pi. ix.
t See F. Arqnani. Le Ceramiclie e Maioliche Faentiue. 1889, plate vii.
d
XXVlll INTRODUCTION.
At first glance it certainly does not appear likely that a Floren-
tine hospital in the XV th century would send to a city across the
Apennines to purchase its pharmacy jars. The distance in itself,
however, would be no objection, for although the means of trans-
l)ort at that time may not have been so rapid as they are now, yet
pottery was carried from one part of Italy to another very much
as it is to-day. If the jars were bought at Faenza it would have
been because a better article could be had there than was on sale
in the home market. And this was not improbably the case, since
Faenza then held something the same reputation for maiolica that
Sheffield now holds for cutlery. It is known that the Medici gave
commissions for maiolica to Faventine potters * ; also a number of
maiolica fragments bearing the Medici arms have been found in
excavations at Faenza. But admitting that the technique of the
jars is Faventine, it still does not exclude the possibility that they
were made at Florence. The Renaissance potters, like the painters
and sculptors, roved from one Italian city to another in the exercise
of their calling. It is therefore conceivable that if the Governors
of Sta. Maria Nuova had given a commission for their pharmacy
maiolica to a Faventine potter, he may have preferred executing it
at Florence itself. The erection of a furnace would have been an
easy matter, or he might have rented one from a native vasajo ;
his wheel and apparatus could have been set up in a few days.
The essential factor wa& the knowledge of Faventine technique,
and that he carried in his head f- Parenthetically it may be
* See G. GuASTi. Di Cafaggiolo, etc. 1892. p. 458. The document, dis-
covered by G. Milanesi, is a list of vessels composing a credenza.
t The Italian potter still retains his peripatetic tendency, occasionally even
coming to this country in search of employment. Once at an Italian city a
clever workman who had learned the manipulation of the lustre process and
was earning a precarious livelihood by forging Maestro Giorgio dishes, pressed
the writer to take him to England. It happened thus : — He had accepted a
commission for a couple of dozen copies of Gubbio pieces in the civic museum
at Pesaro. The terms were satisfactorily settled, when he enquired what date
was to be inscribed on the objects, suggesting either 1530 or 35. He was told
INTRODUCTION. XXIX
remarked that it was this engrained wandering habit of the Italian
potter which is one o£ the chief causes of the unccrtaint}^ the
student experiences in endeavouring to determine the locality of
the early wares ; he so frequently finding the style and technique
peculiar to one city on objects that have been proved to belong to
another.
The intimate relationship existing between the ceramic art of
Florence and Faenza was recognised by Mr. Fortnum, who con-
cluded that the Faventines gave a new impulse to the making of
maiolica in Tuscany towards the end of the XVth century ^, but it
is not improbable that the impulse was given earlier in the century.
It is indeed only what might be expected. At Faenza the native
artistic talent appears to have been mainly directed towards the
production of maiolica, and with a success which is strikingly
apparent in the series of illustrations set forth in the volumes of
Prof. Argnani. They show that the principles of ceramic design
and decoration were there completely understood. The artists
seem to have followed the right track by instinct ; hence it is no
wonder that their wares served as models for imitation or that
they themselves were welcomed as masters in other cities of
Italy.
Even the acumen and industry of Mr. Fortnum failed to discover
any record of well authenticated wares produced at Florence during
the XVth century. Yet it seems difficult to believe that none was
made in the city of Luca della Eobbia, the spot where he lived and
worked, and where his glazed reliefs were known to all. The
to write the actual year and to add his own signature. To this he demurred,
explaining that so doing might lead to trouble with his clients the Milanese
dealers, and for that reason he reluctantly declined executing the order. He
agreed that his present occupation was not a satisfactory one— it certainly did
not appear to be lucrative — but, like Romeo's Apothecary, he pleaded that his
poverty and not his will consented. Unhappily, our friend was not the only
clever craftsman in Italy who turned his hand to fixlsifying the history of
■Italian ceramic art.
* See FoBTNUM. Maiolica. 189C. p. 132.
d2
XXX INTriODUCTION.
iuture may explain why Florence was sterile, i£ she was so, in the
art which will ever be associated with his name. One certainly
would have thought that even had there been no antecedent maiolica
potteries, the display of Luca's brilhant enamelled grounds would
have called them into existence. The tile work on. the tomb of
bishop Benozzo Federighi and the Roundels of the Months made for
Cosimo dei Medici's study^ and now at South Kensington Museum ■^,
when shown in a city where art was in the very atmosphere should
have set the potter's wheels turning of themselves. These con-
siderations rather suggest the probability of an artistic ceramic
industry besides that of the della Robbia being in progress at
Florence in the quattrocento, and which may some day find adequate
record and illustration. Did it exist, the reason of our present
ignorance is probably due to a somewhat remote cause, namely, to
the revulsion of taste that occurred in Italy in the XVIth century,
which would have led to the maiolica of the previous century
ceasing to be prized, or even preserved. Hence its neglect by the
writers on art-history of the decline of the Renaissance period. It
is from their pens that most of the current information of the art
of the quattrocento has been derived, and respecting its maiolica
they have been singularly silent. For them the istoriati plates,
whereon the painters strove in their elaborate compositions to rival
the finish and polish as well as the aerial perspective of oil painting,
were the acme of perfection, and naturally they cared little for the
earlier work. Neither have the latter-day Tuscan writers, who
have displayed a phenomenal zeal in defence of their cherished
Cafaggiolo, had much to say about the wares produced in Florence
itself. It is true that but few of the remains of those wares have
yet been found, but neither have they been sought for. Florence,
* See J. C. Robinson. The Italian Sculpture Collections at South Kensington
Museum. 1802. p. 59. For a masterly and conclusive statement (short of actual
demonstration, which is seldom possible in matters of early art-history) of the
evidence relating to the authorship of the Roundels, the notice deserves careful
perusal.
INTRODUCTION. XXXI
unluckily, has had no Federigo Argnani, who when the soil of his
native city was disturbed never allowed a fragment of its ancient
pottery to escape his watchful eye.
Remembering that it is the unexpected which not infrequently
occurs, it might be desirable in any future search for the locality
of our ware not to forget another Tuscan city, namely, Siena. Of
actual specimens of early native maiolica none is preserved in the
city, so far as the writer has seen. But the numerous representa-
tions of artistic pottery in the tre- and quattrocento Sienese pictures
show that it was then largely in use. The masterly character of
the existing examples of wares made in the city in the first years
of the XVIth century is such as can only be arrived at after long
practice, and hence implies a protracted previous fabrication at
Siena, which would certainly cover the period of the jars. It is also
known that as early as the XVth century the Sienese potter^s clay
was celebrated for its fine quality, and in this particular, it may be
observed, there is a noticeaUe correspondence in the body of which
the jars are composed. The writer has heard it stated that ex-
amples of the ware have been found in Siena ; he knows, however,
only of one well-authenticated case, of which he was informed by
Mr. Fairfax Murray. This was a deep ba^ile, with the oak-leaf
ornament, that was cemented into the wall of a passage connected
with the sacristy of the church of S. Francesco, at Siena : the
bacile was pierced with a hole at the bottom and may therefore
have been used as a lavabo. When seen ])y Mr. Murray the church
was in the course of restoration, and although he begged that the
object might be preserved, he believes that it was destroyed by the
workmen. As to any trace of the pharmacy jars being now dis-
coverable at the Hospital of La Scala, the writer once enquired if
there were any in the building; he was answered in the negative.
It is, however, on account of the strongly pronounced Oriental in-
fluence in the ware that one might be inclined to suppose it may have
been Sienese, since there is no other city in Italy, saving Venice,
where that influence was more strongly manifested. Sienese art
XXxii INTBODUCTION.
ill all departments not only assimilated the forms and motives of
Eastern art, but likewise was saturated with its spirit and senti-
ment. This is particularly observable in its pictorial art. There
can be no mistaking the delight the painters had evidently felt in
elaborating the fanciful designs on the Syrian silks in which they
draped their slender Virgins. Their angels with rainbow-tinted
wings might have fluttered from the illuminated pages of a Persian
romantic poem. The elegant golden ewers and basins, drawn on
the lines fashioned at Mosul or Cairo, which stand prominently in
the foregrounds of their sacred compositions testify to the same
influence. The gay and joyous coloration, as of some Damascus
garden, which overspread the Sienese paintings was derived from
the same source. Thence also came the note of pensive sentimenii
distinguishing the somewhat languorous saints and virgins, always
sweet and refined, yet whose grace is perhaps the kind more
cultivated in the hareem than that supposed to be cherished in the
cloister. This predilection for Oriental forms and sentiment
characterizing Sienese painting may, hence, fairly be assumed to
have been a prominent feature in its ceramic art. No systematic
excavations having for their object the recovery of the remains of
its ancient art appear to have been prosecuted at Siena, conse-
quently the information to be derived from those useful documents,
the pottery fragments, is in default. But evidence of the admira-
tion of the Sienese for the Hispano-Moresque lustred wares is
furnished by the numerous fragments of that pottery found by Pepi,
the druggist, when the ground happened to be turned up in the
course of casual building operations*. If in the future the remains
of ancient potteries are found at Siena, it might then be worth
while to examine the refuse in order to ascertain if it contains
wasters of our ware.
The solution of the mystery rests with the students of art-history
in Italy, since it is there alone that the determining evidence can
be discovered. But if we are to receive from them proof that is
* These fragmeuls are uow in the possession of Prof. G. Tesorone.
INTRODUCTION. XXxiii
patent and undeniable, they must materially change their methods
of procedure. So long as they are content to build on the quick-
sands of hypothesis, so certainly will their hastily, if ingeniously,
constructed theories successively collapse and disappear. Rather
should they act on the rule of that keen investigator of the last
century who said : " Take nothing on its looks ; take everything on
evidence.-*^ Nor will the element of local patriotism assist the
search. As a stimulant, a dram, it may add vigour to invective
and venom to sarcasm when the object is to confute and discredit
a rival in the neighbouring parish, or province ; but when the aim
is to convince the impartial enquirer it is entirely ineffective, indeed
it is actually thwarting. It is possible the evidence permitting
the jars to be labelled with the same certitude that we now class a
Maestro Giorgio plate with Gubbio ware is still extant. Should
it, however, continue hidden, the intelligence, up to a certain point,
may be obtained from a source which, rightly questioned, is
rarely misleading, namely, from the collections of the remains of
maiolica potteries now being formed in the Transalpine museums.
When the specimens have been correctly classified and their
relationships established, then the present ware will fall into its
proper place in the ordered sequence of the art. Its precise date
may be wanting, its exact locality may not have been identified,
yet at least the essential factor — its true position in relation to its
compeers — will be established. But what, perhaps, is too much to
expect is, that, like the famous Gubbio ware, its maker's name will
also stand revealed. Judging from the style and the execution of
the ornament, it is probable that most of the examples of the jars
were painted by the same hand. They show nothing of the
timidity and hesitation of the primitive work. The line is fluent
and the masses firmly planted. What the painter meant to say he
said in a way about which there is no mistake. Seldom is there
seen vase ornamentation displaying such individuality in its design,
or such directness in its intention. The general design always
follows the same decorative scheme, the potter doubtless well
XXXIV INTRODUCTION.
knowing that once the public has manifested a strong predilection
for a particular ware, it is unwise to alter its form of ornamenta-
tion ; but he introduced endless variety in the arrangement of his
motives. He had also the faculty of imparting a vitality to his
surfaces, making the vase as it were a living thing. Altogether, he
displayed a resourcefulness and spontaneity of invention belonging
only to the born artist. He likewise evinced the possession
of a quality rarely found in XVth century Italian art — that of
humour, and, moreover, he was master of a touch ranking him
high amongst the executants in the department of ceramic art.
It is universally accepted that the classes of pottery should be
set forth and figured chronologically. With respect, however, to
the jars, the evidence as to their sequence of manufacture not
being sufficiently conclusive to authorize the attempt, the following
illustrations have been mainly arranged according to the character
of the oramentations of the originals. Thus, the first group,
figs. 1-4, includes the examples wherein the animals are isolated
from the diapered ground and have their bodies decorated with
conventional patterns, both mannerisms being adaptations from
ornament on archaic Oriental vases. Hence the design is actually
archaistic, which is scarcely what would be expected in pottery
belonging to an energetic and progressive epoch, were it not that
similar instances occur in its pictorial art. Thus Carlo Crivelli
in his tempera paintings reproduced the archaisms of the
XlVth century at the end of the XVth. Also, Mantegna and
others of the Squarcione school indulged in archaisms, themselves
barely emancipated from archaic practice. The fact of naturalistic
and archaistic design being found on maiolica of the same date in
the Parma tiles removes any doubt which might arise as to the
present case. Besides, the Kensington Lion jar happens to be in
execution and the quality of its enamel one of the most advanced
INTRODUCTION. XXXV
specimens of the series. The return to a past form of design,
which has always possessed attractions for the cultured and refined,
possibly represented a temporary reaction initiated by a coterie, or
an individual, and which but slightly affected the onward move-
ment of the art. Figs. 5-9 are placed next because they bear
representations of the devices of the Hospitals of Sta. Maria Nuova
and of La Scala. Then follow figs. 10-13 on account of their
containing paintings of the human figure (12 and 14 being placed
together from their belonging to the same series of albarelli) : 16-
20 showing busts and human-headed animals are naturally united
to the same group. The remainder, figs. 21-41, do not seem to
fall into any well-defined groups ; they have therefore been ar-
ranged mainly according to size. It was stated above that the
ornament on a few of the jars is thinly painted ; the motives,
however, do not differ from the majority, except perhaps that they
are slacker in execution ; none of these has been included in the
present series.
The small miscellaneous group contained in figs. 42-49 belongs
to the same class as the jars, yet whilst the ornament comprises
the same general motives of design it displays a difference of style
which may be attributed to the majority of the objects representing
the first stage of the ware, the exceptions being figs. 42 & 43.
Fig. 42 shows along with the archaistic style of the bird the same
freedom of design in the oak-leaves perceptible in the ornament of
the jars, and may therefore be of the same time : indeed for clever
spacing and fanciful design the boccale is admirable and masterly.
The two other boccali, figs. 43 & 44, although technically and
decoratively on the same lines, seem to denote an earlier practice,
unless they came from a different locality, the same perhaps as the
albarello, fig. 45, which is a fine example of severe design set forth
with uncompromising directness. It may be supposed that fig. 46
is still earlier in date and that the ornament here is really archaic.
The peculiar shape of the leaf, appearing to be split down the
middle, is found in the before mentioned albarello in Plate IX. of
XXXVi INTRODUCTION.
Prof. Argnani's " Einascimenlo delle Ccramicho Maiolicate in
Faenza." The jar and the two-handled albarello, figs. 47 & 48, are
interesting as examples of the ornament being painted in thin, palish
green (in contrast to the lustrous green of fig. 35), o£ about the
same intensity as the colour in the primitive boccali and scodelli,
and to which, by the drawing of the birds, they are evidently not
distantly related. Considering its historic significance, it is to be
reo-retted that the number of pieces composing this interesting
group is so very limited. These stray specimens are the survivors of
numerous and probably widespread wares, whereof, through their
instrumentahty, we catch, as it were, far off and casual glimpses.
But the survey is too narrow, the objects are too few to permit
more than conjectural inferences as to their time and place. Hence
it would be premature to attempt to discuss these characteristic relics
of a lon^-lost art while their representation is as yet so restricted.
The following list of works containing illustrations of the jars
may be useful for reference :— C. Druey S. Fortnum: A Catalogue
of the Maiolica, etc., in the S. Kensington Museum, 1873 (1 illus-
tration; the same occurs also in the Museum Handbook, 1875). —
Otto von Falke: Handbook of the Berlin Kunstgewerbe Museum,
1896 (1 illustration). — Emile Molinier: Gazette des Beaux-Arts,
August 1897 (2 illustrations). — Henry Wallis : Examples of
Maiolica and Mezza-maiolica fabricated before 1500, 1897 (11 illus-
trations) . — ^WiLHELM Bode : Jahrbuch der Koniglich Preussischen
Kunstsammlungen, 1898 (8 illustrations). — W. Bode : Altfloren-
tiner Majoliken. Austellung von Kunstwerken des Mittelalters und
der Renaissance, Berlin, 1899 (6 illustrations). — Miller Aichuolz:
Sale Catalogue, Paris, 1900 (3 illustrations).
These are all that are known to the writer.
INTRODUCTION. XXXVU
Note 1.
On certain details in the ornamental motives of eiglit XVth century
Italian hacili in j^olf/chrome decoration, in the Museums of
South Kensington, Paris, Berlin, Sevres, and a private collection.
Amongst the very scanty representation o£ early Italian maiolica
in our museums there are a few examples o£ a rather imposing
ware which in some o£ its ornamental motives display certain
affinities with the decoration o£ the jars discussed in the £oregoing
pages. The objects in question are large bacili, eight in number,
o£ which three are at South Kensington and one each at Sevres,
Cluny, the Louvre, the Berhn Kunstgewerbe Museum, and another,
known only to the writer £rom an illustration : see figs. 51-58.
The dishes are flat, having nearly straight sides and small rims.
The body is red in colour,, the glaze is stanniferous, the ornament
is all drawn in manganese on the toned white ground and is
painted in green, yellow, and manganese. The rims are orna-
mented with a running pattern o£ varied design painted in green,
yellow, and manganese. Taking the Lion dish at South Kensington,
the rim is seen to be ornamented with serpentine lines enclosing
large green spots placed in the before-mentioned V-shaped outline.
The same ornament is found on the necks of some of the jars,
except that the spots are blue : the V motive is also on figs. 54-
56. Further, the stalk of the left-hand lily of the Cluny dish is
intersected by a passage of short lines ; in a similar way the oak-
branches are sometimes treated on the jars, notably in the British
Museum jar, fig. 10 ; the same is seen on the Faventine boccale in
Plate IX. of Prof. Argnani's second work. A mannerism of this
kind would scarcely be a matter of mere chance, and occurring on
vessels possessing other analogies of design suggests that the jars
XXXVIU INTRODUCTION.
and the bacili may have been produced at the same place. Again,
as to the figure drawing in the Cluny dish and the British Museum
jar, an affinity of style, especially in the profiles and the hands, is
apparent. The young man on the jar is a more sprightly figure
than the " Diana bella " on the dish ; but it will be remembered
that as there can be no erasing or retouching in vase drawing,
which has to be executed in a flowing line, it may often happen
that in two figures from the same hand one will be superior to the
other. In the present case, allowing for the differences between
colour and monochrome representation, they show points of re-
semblance indicating near relationship. One cannot, however,
safely draw conclusions from style alone in the design on early
maiolica ; or not with the same confidence as in the case of con-
temporaneous pen-and-ink or chalk drawings. Respectiug these
there exists a large body of unquestionable evidence, whilst, of
course, the reverse is the case as regards early Italian pottery. It
is therefore the more useful to note similarities of drawing and
manner of design in the maiolica whenever they can be discovered
and thus endeavour to build up a body of evidence which will serve
for reference. It should be stated that on the present occasion the
art of figs. 51-58 is discussed solely from one point of view,
namely, to establish the relationship of the objects with figs. 1-49,
which are thus shown not to stand alone. It may be added that
the bacili have been assigned to two or three localities, but only
hypothetically. Their discussion would require a series of illus-
trations which could not appropriately be included in the present
study.
INTRODUCTION. XXxix
Note 2.
On hoo leases in pictures by the anonymous painter hioum as
the "Master of Flemalle " or " de Merode."
In Dr. Bode's article, referred to in the Introduction, mention
is made o£ two blue and white vases represented in pictures at
Madrid and Brussels, by a little known Flemish painter now
styled the " Master of Flemalle '•' or " de Merode.'' They are
stated to be boccali, and it is suggested they were copied from
examples of the ware which is the subject of the present enquiry.
The vases are cited on the question of the date of the ware, one of
the pictures by the Master having been painted in the year 1436,
and it is considered probable that he may have continued painting
up to the middle of the century. Dr. Bode says that he is writing
from photographs, and as this form of reproducing works of art is
so frequently misleading, the writer thought it might be desirable
before accepting the evidence of the photographs to obtain draw-
ings of the originals. By the kindness of M. Henri Hymans and
Senor Don G. J. de Osma he has been favoured in the one case
with a water-colour drawing of the vase and in the other with a
tracing : they are given in fig. 62. No. 1 is from a panel of the
Annunciation in the Prado Gallery, at Madrid, no. 1853 of the
Catalogue. It is a two-handled vase having the ornamentation in
blue on a white ground. The painter has probably generalized
and simplified the ornament on account of the small size it is
represented in the picture ; it is very indistinct in the photograph,
so likewise is the shape of the object, which might be mistaken for
a boccale. No. 2 is also from an Annunciation by the Master in
the possession of the Countess de Merode, of Brussels, who now
never allows the picture to be seen. M. Hymans, to whom the
work was known in the past, was aware that it had once been
Xl. INTRODUCTION,
carefully copied, and from this source he obtained a tracing of the
vase ; being on so minute a scale the tracing is naturally not so
clear as the drawing from the Prado painting. Here the object
is a trilobed boccale, the ornament covering the body of the vessel
is in blue ; the upright band of Arabic inscription in Nesky
characters beside the handle is stated by M. Hymans to be brown.
In each instance the style of the ornamentation differs from that
of the jars '^.
It is probable that both the vessels in the pictures were copied
or adapted from Oriental originals ; the painter thereby aiming at
giving a touch of local colour to his scriptural compositions. The
writer has not seen Eastern vases precisely resembling either, but
fragments somewhat similar are known. Bands of inscriptions in
Nesky characters are not uncommon on the Oriental wares, and
they are frequently painted in lustre colour, which would be
rendered by the Flemish painter by brown. The style of the
ornamentation of the vase in the Madrid picture was imitated by
the Faventine potters at about the end of the XVth and the
beginning of the XVIth century. Illustrations of the ware in
which it occurs are given by Prof. Argnani in Plate XVI. of his
" Ceramiche e Maioliche Faentine." It is, of course, impossible
to say if the XVth century painters, whether Italian or Flemish,
when they introduced faience vessels into their pictures as a rule
copied them from actual originals, or only gave adaptations from
memory, or from sketches. Jan van Eyck and Antonello da
Messina would probably have painted faithful copies direct from
nature ; few of the others, however, are likely to have been equally
* The Louvre contains a painting ascribed to the Master — No. 595, " La
Sakitation Angelique " — in which amongst the accessories is seen the usual vase,
its ornamentation being after the manner of the Madrid example. The Louvre
panel has evidently either been much repainted or is a copy. It may be
mentioned that the art of the Master of Fl(5malle has been discussed by
M. Hymans iu articles in the *' Gazette des Beaux-Arts," and by Dr. von Tschudi
and others in the Prussian " Jahrbuch."
INTRODUCTION. xH
conscientious — not even Ambrogio Lorenzetti. Nevertheless, a
complete series of illustrations of the pottery in XVth century-
frescoes and pictures would be of valuable assistance to students
of the ceramic art of the period : it would, however, be essential
to copy them directly from the paintings and not from photographs,
which by reason of the faded or damaged condition of the originals
will often be erroneous, and this occurs whether the medium be
oil, tempera or fresco. Thus, it has been asserted that an albarello
similar to the one in the Adoration of the Shepherds, by Hugo
van der Goes, is depicted in Ghirlandajo's fresco of St. Augustine
at the Ognissanti, at Florence. The author in this instance has
evidently been deceived by consulting a photograph of the work,
since of the two albarelli in the painting, instead of bearing the
blue and lustre vine-leaves of the Adoration, one shows for central
ornament the letters IHS surrounded by a simple scroll, and the
other various coloured horizontal bars.
ILLUSTRATIONS.
/\ S the glaze, the body, and other particulars relating to the
technique o£ the jars have been described in the preceding
pages, it will be unnecessary to repeat them as to each of the follow-
ing objects. With respect to the formation of the vessels, it should
be said that they are flat at the base, none having the hollowed feet of
the Oriental and Hispano-Moresque vases. The handles generally
are broad and flat, those of the largest jars, while relatively as
broad, are ridged (the intention evidently being to strengthen
them); they are really double, being composed of two single ones
placed side by side and then welded together by a roll of the
body laid along the junction and pressed down. In the case,
however, of the Lion jar at South Kensington the roll is omitted,
the double handles are not even joined along their entire length.
The stanniferous glaze of the jars, as above stated, is white, but in
some of the examples of the group contained in figs. 42-49 the
ground is distinctly grey, notably in Herr von Beckerath's boccale,
and to a less extejit in the British Museum early jars. Originally
in these cases the glaze was white, the grey tinge having been
superinduced by the action of the water in the wells wherein the
objects had been arranged in layers, each layer being covered with
a flat stone, more than four centuries ago. A reference to the
early Italian maiolica found in wells by the late Dr. Funghini
occurs in a note on p. 32 of the " Art of the Precursors."
Dr. Funghini especially mentions fig. 42, and it may be inferred
the boccale was found by him — such was certainly the case as to
several examples at the British Museum and South Kensington ; in
some of them the original white ground is now nearly black.
Fio. 1. — ^JAR. The " Lion Jar." (Compare with an archaic classical
oinoche illustrated in Count Luigi Palma di Cesnola's Cyprus, 1877,
p. 55.) H. 375 mm. South Kensington Museum.
b2
Fig. 2.— jar. H. 20 cm.
Dublin Museum.
Fig. 3.— JAR. H. 34(
Sen or Don G. J. de Ossna.
Fia. 4.— JAR. H. 85 cm.
Senior Don G. J. de Osma.
YiQ. 6.— TWO-HANDLED JAR. The device of the Hospital of Sta.
Maria Nuova, the crutch, is seen on the handle : the animals are hares.
H. 20 cm, South Kensington Musemn.
Fig. 6.— two-handled JAR. The device of the Hospital of Sta.
Maria Nuova, the crutch, is seen on the handle. H. 27 cm.
Herr A. von Beckerath
Fig. 7.— TWO-HANDLED ALBARELLO. h.-jiriiitr the device of the
Hospital of La Rcala. H. 30 cm. Dr. W. Bode.
10
Flft. 8.— TWO-HANDLED ALBARELLO, bearing- the device of the
Hospital of La Scala. H. 82 cm. South Kensington Museum.
It
Fia. 9.— TWO-HANDLED ALBARELLO (sliowiug the handle of
fig. 8), H. :V2 cm. South Kensington Museum,
12
FiCJ. 10. — ^JAR. The glaze has run at the neck of the jar, and is mixed with
the blue on the man's hat and coat. H. 36 cm. British Museum.
13
Fid. 11.— JAR. H. 36 cm. (The opposite side of fig. 10.)
British Museum.
14
Fig. 12.— ALBARELLO. H. 33 cm. National Miiseum, Florence.
15
Fio. 13. — From the Albarello, fig. 12 : the opposite side. Compare the
ornament terminating the bust with that on fig. 51.
16
Fio. 14.— ALBARELLO. H. 32 cm.
British Museum.
17
Fio, 15.— ALBARELLO. (The opposite side of fig. 14.) The field of the
shield and the hat are manganese : the arms are those of the Spadiiii
family. H. 32 cm. British Muse-um.
18
Fig. 16. — ^JAR. The face is tinted manganese: at the time the jar was
made the potters were apparently unable to produce flesh tints in
stanniferous enamel. H. 19 cm. South Kensington Museum.
19
Fig. 17.— plate. The back is not glazed. D. 22 cm.
National Museum, Florence.
C2
20
Fig. 18. — ^JAR. The handles bear the device of the Crutch. The ornament
pn the shoulder and breast is reminiscent of the elaborate brocade
in the same place, seen in the profile bust-portraits of Piero della
Francosca (1415-92). H. 28 cm. Prof. E. Volpi.
21
Fig. 19.— jar. The jar is said to be now in the United States. H. 32 cm.
22
Fig. 20.— JAR. H. 24 cm.
Dr. W. Bode.
23
Fia. 21.— JAR. H. 36 cm.
British MuseTun.
24
Fio. 22.— JAR. H. 86 cm.
Henry Wallis.
25
Fio. 23— JAR. H. aicin.
Prince Liechtenstein.
26
Fig. 24.— JAR. H. 266 mm.
Prince Liechtenstei
27
Fig, 25.--JAR. H. 25 cm.
M. de Sf arcuard.
28
FiO. 26.— JAR. H. 31 cm.
M. de Marcuard.
29
Fi&. 27.— JAR. H.28cm.
Dr. W. Bode.
30
Fio. 28.-TWO-HANDLED JAR. One of the few instances in which a
mark occurs. H. 22 cm. Dublin Museum.
31
Fia. 29.— JAR. H. 20 cm.
Musee de Sevres.
a 2
Fio. 30. — ^JAR. A similar jar is in the collection of Dr. Bode. H. 195 mm.
South Kensington Museum.
33
Fia. 31.— JAR. H. 185 mm.
M. Raymond Koechlin.
34
Fig. 32,— JAR. H. 195 mm.
Prince Liechtenstein.
35
Fig. 33.— jar. One of a pair. H. 20 cm. Senor Don G. J. de Osma.
d2
36
Fig. 34.— jar. H. 17 cm.
South Kensington Mttseum.
37
Fig. 35.— JAR. The ornament is in deep green. H. 18 cm
Dr. W. Bode.
38
Fig. 36. — ^JAR. Compare with Prof. Argnani's " Ceramiche e Maioliche
Arcaicbe Faentiue." 1903. fig. vi. H. 20 cm. Dr. W. Bode.
39
Fio. 37.— JAR. H. 32 cm.
Prof. E. Volpi.
40
Fig. 38.— jar. H. 13 cm.
Henry Wallis.
41
Fio. 39.— JAR. H. 13 cm.
Henry Wallis.
42
Fig. 40.— jar. Copied from a drawing by Mr. C. Fairfax Murray, in the
National Art Library at Soutli Kensington Museum. (D. 294-90.)
43
Fig. 41. — SITU LA. Pale red body. Outlined in manganese, painted in
blue : the line at the foot and the line round the shield are pale yellow ;
touches of the same colour are on the fish and on the butterfly. The
fish is beneath the handle. The shield bears the impresa of the Visconti
family. Mr. A. B. Skinner, Assistant Director, South Kensington
Museum, has suggested that the vessel may have been made for the
pharmacy of the Oertosa, Pavia, citing a passage in Sig. Beltrami's
Guide, "La Certosa di Pavia." 1895. p. 146. It is there stated that
among objects found in the sepidchral urn of G. Galeazzo, exhibited in
the Museum of the Certosa, was " un vaso di terra smaltato, coU' impresa
della biscia viscontea." H. 22 cm. Musee du Louvre.
44
EiG. 42.— BOCCALE. The band on the bird's breast may be the Medi-
cean palle ; they are usually six in number, but sometimes seven, possibly
in error. H. 25 cm. Herr A. von Beckerath.
45
Fig. 43.— BOCCALE. From a drawing by Miss Bode.
H. 21 cm.
Dr. W. Bode.
Hi
Fia. 44.— BOCCALE. H. 11 cm.
Dr. W. Bode.
47
Fig. 45.— ALBARELLO. H. 20 cm.
British Museiun.
48
Fia. 46, — ALBARELLO. Painted in dark blue and manganese. In-
scribed " NOCI CONFETI." H. 28 cm. Henry Wallis.
49
^^**'5;p7"^^h* J^^ ornament is outlined in manganese and painted in pale
eieen. ±i_^ cm. British Museum.
50
Fia. 48.— TWO-HANDLED ALBARELLO. The ornament is outlined
in manganese and painted in pale green. H. 20 cm,
British Museum.
51
Fig. 49. — PLATE. The central motive is the letter G. This is proLably
the plate (much restored) of which a fragment is given in Prof. Arg-
nani's " Ceramiche e Maioliche Arcaiche Faentine." 1903. Plate XIX.
Compare with fig. 1, Plate VI. of Prof. Argnani's " Ceramiche Faentine."
1889. The author states that the G, which is on a boccale found at th&^
Rocca Malatestiana, stands for the initial of Galeazzo Malatesta (1429-
55), but he gives no confirmatory evidence for the assertion. D. 245 mm.
South Kensington Museum.
e2
52
Fig. 50.--SHIELD. Painted in deep blue, except the beak and the claws,
which are yellow ; the fleur-de-lys and the border are black. H. 32 cm.
Musee de I'Hotel de Cluny,
Oi>
Fig. 51.— BACILE. Maiolica. Red body. The oraament drawn in
manganese: the hair is painted yellow, the veil manganese, the top of
the bodice is gi-een. The conventional pattern on the sides and rim is
painted in green, manganese, and jellow. The rim is pierced for
strmg. D. 45 cm. South Kensington Museum.
54
Fio. 52. — BACILE. This and on to fig. 68 are Maiolica, red body, and
have the ornament drawn in manganese. The hare is painted in man-
ganese, the artichoke in yellow and green, the rosettes and dots in the
same colours. The conventional pattern on the sides and rim is painted
in green, manganese, and yellow. On the unglazed reverse is a drawing
of a winged Eros climbing a tree. Two small tlat handles are attached
to the sides. D. 47 cm. South Kensington Musevun.
55
Fig. 53. — BACILE. The body of the lion is green, the mane and tail are
yellow ; he stands on a green and yellow ground, the cross on the
banner is manganese. The conventional pattern on the sides and the
rim is painted in green and yellow. The rim is pierced. Compare
the ornament on the sides with passages in figs. 40, 44, and 45.
D. 51 cm. South Kensington Mviseum.
50
Fig. 54.— BACILE. D. 64
Musee du Louvre.
57
Fig. 55. — BACILE. D. 68 cm. Formerly in the Leroux Collection.
58
Fig. 56.— BACILE. See Dr. Otto von Falke's Handbook, ''Majolika."
1896. fig. 44. D. 69 cm. Kiuistgewerbe Museum, Berlin.
59
Fia. 57.— BACILE. D. 36 cm. Inscribed " DIANA BELLA."
Musee de I'Hotel de Cluny.
60
Fig. 68.— B AGILE. D. 46 cm. luscribed "PlilMA INVIDA CHE
PIATA." Musee de Sevres.
61
Fig. 59. — details OF ORNAMENT FROM HISPANO-
MORESQUE WARES._No. 1. From a four-iiandled yir. Hemy
Wallis.— No. 2. From an albarello. Kenry Wallis.— No. '6. From
a dish. Mr. George Salting. See p. xxii.
62
Fl». 60. — DETAILS OF ORNAMENT FROM HISPANO-
MORESQUE, ORIENTAL, AND ITALIAN WARES.—
No. 1. From a dish. Henry Wallis — No. 2. From a dish in the
Henderson Collection. British Museum.— No. 3. From a dish.
South Kensington Museum. — No. 4 {a) From a fragment of a
Faveutine boccale. Henry Wallis. {b) From a loaded red orna-
ment on a Rhodian mug. Henry Wallis. See pp. xxii, xxi, and
xxvii.
63
Fig Gl. — ALBARELLO (Moresco). Maiolica. The ornament is painted
in cobalt-blue, the ground is the white stanniferous enamel. See p. xxiii,
note. (An albarello of the same series, but with antelopes instead of
birds, belonging to the writer, is exhibited at S. Kensington Museum.)
H. 28 cm. Mr. F. Waldemar Fuchs.
G4
Eta. 62.— TWO VASES FROM PAINTINGS BY THE "MASTER
OF FLEMALLE." No. 1. A two-handled jar ; from a painting in
the Prado Gallery, Madrid. No. 2. A boccale ; from a painting
belonging to the Countess de M^rode. See p, xxxix.
3
APPENDIX.
60
APPENDIX.
'^ I^HE following illustrations of fragments, figs. G.3-75, found on
the Cairo mounds (with the exception of fig. 63, which came
from Damascus, and the detail from Dr. Fouquet's Jar) are given
mainlj as characteristic examples of Oriental ceramic ornament from
wares, of which possibly more or less numerous specimens had been
imported into Italy previous to the period of the manufacture of
our jars. They have not been selected with reference to any special
ornamental motives on the latter, although in certain cases there
are seen to be unmistakable analogies of method and design. The
affinities are more those of style and of decorative effect in the
arrangement of light and dark, and in the manner of covering the
ground so as to keep it interesting and vivacious. In one case,
however, fig. 63, the illustration shows a specimen of a scheme of
ornamentation — that of placing figures of animals on a ground
diapered with an intricate conventional flower and leaf design —
which was adopted by the Italians, as in figs. 54 & 55.
Tlie writer is indebted to H. E. Artin Yacoub Pasha, Secretary
for Public Instruction, Egypt, for translations of the Arabic
inscriptions ; except the suggestion for fig. 73, which was made
Iby Dr. Moritz, Curator of the Khedivial Library. Artin Pasha
states that Arabic inscriptions on pottery, or on anything which can
be broken, torn, or burnt, are often intentionally fictitious ; the
Mussulmans, especially the Turks, holding it to be sinful to risk
defacing the written name of God. At the present day the orna-
mental sentences embroidered on cushion-covers, table-cloths, &c.,
at Constantinople are composed either of words making no sense,
or of letters placed at hazard. The Pasha considers the characters
on fio-. 70 are Fatimy of about the Xth century ; those on fig. 71
of the X-XItli century, and on fig. 72 of the Xllth century. The
APPENDIX. 67
characters on fig. 73 are either late Filtimy or early AjjuId,
Xll-XIIIth century, and on fig. 74 they are very late MamlQk,
or possibly of the early Ottoman period, XV-XVIth century.
The two blue-and-white albarelli, figs. 76 & 77, from Baron
Chiaramonte Bordonaro's important ceramic collection at Palermo,
are a valuable addition to the known specimens of a Damascus
ware which had a marked influence on early Italian maiolica, as
will bo shown later on. The Cairo mounds have furnished numerous
inscribed fragments of the class, from which we learn that it came
from Syria and was copied by the Egyptian mediseval potters.
The only intact example which the writer had previously seen is the
vase given in the " Oriental Influence on Italian Maioliofei,^^ fig. 20,
That jar was formerly in the possession of an old Sicilian family ;
the Baron^s albarelli (whereof his collection contains three others)
he believes came from Mazzara, consequently it may be inferred
that these are the relics of a Syrian ware imported into Sicily, at
the period the miscalled Siculo-Arab wares came as articles of
commerce from the East. The afiinity of the albarelli with the
Damascus tiles at S. Kensington — see figs. 21-27 of the " Oriental
Influence " — may be accepted as additional evidence of their
derivation.
Fig. 78 illustrates pavement-tiles represented in a picture by
Tommaso de Vigilia in the Palermo Museum, dated 1492. It will
be seen that the leaf design is analogous with that of the jars, and
the animals with a somewhat similar subject on fig. 40; they
display also affinities with the Caracciolo tiles figured in the volume
on the XVth century pavement-tiles. The date of the picture is
more than half a century later than that assigned to the Caracciolo
tiles, but it is not uncommon to find Sicilian art of the XVth cen-
tury considerably in arrear of corresponding work in Italy ;
Prof. Salinas, the Director of the Palermo Museum, places it
generally at fifty years. Although it is probable that the pave-
ment in Vigilia's picture was adopted from XVth century central
Italian tiles in Neapolitan churches, it will be observed that the
f2
GS APPENDIX.
design is more ordered and complex ; this may be owing to the
influence o£ n more advanced Oriental art dating from the time
of the Arab and Norman dynasties in Sicily, and which had not
expired at the end of the XVth century. The Palermo Museum
jH)ssesses a portion of the fretted wooden roof of the Cappella
Palatina (Xllth century) composed of small wooden panels joined
together, on which are elaborate and delicately carved friezes,
including running animals in flowing foliage scroll-work, and these
motives, or other similar ornament, may have inspired the designer
of the tiles. All forms of artistic activity produced in Sicily
previous to the XVIth century are now exceedingly rare in the
island. This is especially the case with the work of its most
brilliant period, that of the Arab and Norman dominion. The few
architectural remains, like those of Cefalu, Monreale, and the
Cappella Palatina, bear testimony to its splendid decorative quality
due to the enlightened policy of the Norman Kings, who fostered
and maintained the artistic renaissance introduced by the Arabs.
It is true that the artists who covered the walls of the churches
and palaces with mosaics, who cast the bronze portals, carved and
inlaid the woodwork with ivory, and wove the famous silken
vestments were from Constantinople and the East, yet their
example could scarcely fail to stimulate the growth of a native art.
If such was the case, it had no time to take firm root. With
the termination of Norman rule, or at least after the death of
Frederick II. (1250), began the era of political disorder and
misrule which crushed the life out of Sicilian art.
Respecting the ceramic art, during the earlier time the more
artistic wares were largely imported from the East, as is proved
by the Falkner vases at S. Kensington, the two large Fortnum
albarelli, now belonging to Mr. Godman, and the blue-and-white
jars of S. Kensington, the Hotel de Cluny, and those at the Sevres
Museum, which it is stated were all found in Sicily at the middle
of the last century. It is difficult to say when the Eastern
importation ceased, but probably after the Spanish dominion (1505)
APPENDIX. G9
the commerce was mainly with Spain, whence came the later
lastred pottery *. The earliest native maiolica found by Prof.
Salinas are the Palermo and Caltagirone wares of the XVlIth
century; one example, however, bears the date of 1599. They are
copied from late Urbino ware of the period of the large Urbino
jars in the Messina Museum, which came from the civic hospital
of Messina ; they are dated 1568. As to maiolica pavement-tiles,
there appears to have been a native production in the XVth cen-
tury, showing Italian influence in their technique and shape, the
design being based on Italian models but modified by Oriental
motives. Thus, whilst the shape and general decoration of the
hexagonal tiles in figs. 79 and 80 recall the Caracciolo pavement,
the central portion of the ornament of fig. 79 suggests a con-
ventionalized form of Cufic characters. The tiles were found by
Prof. Salinas in a hall of the Castle of Pietraperzia, which he
judged to be of the end of the XVth century.
Whilst on the subject of pavement-tiles some additions and
corrections may be made to the description of the examples given
in the volume on Italian Tile-pavements, which the writer has
obtained since its publication. Prof. Tesorone informs him that
he found the tiles on fig. 61 in the crypt of a small oratory of the
Congreda dei Bianchi, at Gubbio. Seeing that the central orna-
ment of the group of tiles on fig. 61 nearly corresponds with the
motive of the tile from S. Bernardino, at Perugia — fig. 60— it is
not improbable that both were made at the same place : the ques-
tion arises whether it was Gubbio or Perugia. Prof. Tesorone
considers the tile on fig. 87 to be Umbrian, from Perugia. In the
same volume the writer refers to the relief Spanish tiles of the
Appartamento Borgia as belonging to the time of Alexander VI. ;
it should be to that of Pius IV. They were laid down when the
* Prof. Salinas informed the writer that the people stiU speak of glazed tiles,
even those of modern Sicilian fabrication, as "Ma^toue de Vakncia." la
Sicily the albarello is now termed " bernia.''
70 APPENDIX.
Sala dei Pontefici in the Appartamento Borgia was restored by-
Pius IV. in 1561 : the restoration was rendered necessary from
the injury to the decoration by the soldiers of Bourbon's army at
the time of the Sack o£ Rome. It was in the Sala that they burnt
the vestments and tapestries in order to extract the gold with
which they were embroidered. In the second volume of the present
series " The Art of the Precursors/' the writer mentioned he was
informed by a native of Siena that when the Sienese churches were
restored in the last century, the ancient pavements were broken
up and the tiles thrown away. He has since learnt that in the
case of the church of S. Francesco some of the tiles were preserved
and are now embedded in the wall of the adjoining cloister. They
are, however, high up and touching the roof, where it is impossible
to distinguish their design ; moreover, they are partially covered
with plaster. The remains of a fine XVth century tile-pavement
still exist in the Bichi chapel, at the church of S. Agostino in
Siena. In few of the tiles is the enamelled surface intact, and in
many it is completely worn away. The pavement was originally
laid down in 1488 and relaid in 1747, but then considerably cur-
tailed. The border, now at some distance from the wall, is composed
of a band of cherubim ; the interior tiles, of the usual square and
hexagonal shape, are ornamented with the Bichi arms, scroll-work,
and what appear to be musical instruments. The colour scheme is
cobalt, manganese, and green on a ground either white or yellow.
For the sake of historic association one would not wish these
ancient pavements to be removed from their original sites, if they
can there be properly preserved ; but when it is evident that
their retention involves the complete obliteration of their painted
surface, it would certainly seem to be a pious duty to remove at
least some of the tiles whereon the design is still discernible to the
safe keeping of a public museum. The document referring to
the contract for laying the pavement was discovered by Sig. F. B.
Piccolomini and published by him (in abitract) in the " Miscellanea
Storico Senese." Anno IV. 1897. p. 124. The contracting parties
APPENDIX. 71
are Antonio di Giovanni Bichi on the one part and Pietro e Niccolo
di Lorenzo Mazzaburoni, Oreiolai di S. Marco, on the other : the
price of the pavement per braccio was to be 1. 3, 10s. The contract
is dated June 3, 1488.
Fig. 83 is from a portion of a full-page miniature depicting
what may be inferred is the Cortile of a hospital, our illustration
being its pharmacy. The entire composition numbers twelve
figures, one being on horseback, the rest consisting of a group of
physicians in discussion. The physicians wear scarlet, fur-trimmed
robes, like the one giving instructions to a pupil or page holding a
situla and glass in the illustration. The chief interest of the scene
in connection with the present volume rests with the display of
maiolica albareUi, showing how they were arranged on the shelves
along with the round wooden boxes for dry drugs and the bottles,
encased in rush-work as in the present day in Italy, to hold decoc-
tions and infusions ; the mortar, with its projecting ribs, is of the
kind whereof many examples still remain. It will be noted that
the albarelli are uncovered ; faience lids appear not to have been
in use, the top being covered with parchment bound with string at
the neck. Albarelli thus covered are found in XVth century
Italian paintings. There is one in the Annunciation by Crivelli
in the National Gallery (no. 739), another occurs in a panel of the
same subject by Giovanni Santi in the Brera (no. 544). That
the artist of the miniature omitted this detail may have arisen from
the small scale of the subjects, otherwise the representation (setting
aside its unscientific perspective) is remarkably truthful, admirably
rendering the shape of the vases and the character of their blue-
and-white ornamentation. The precise year when the codex was
illuminated is not known, but it may be accepted to belong to the
first half of the XVth century, the art being either Pisan or
Florentine.
72
APPENDIX.
Fio. 63.--FRAGMENT. Mezzamaiolica. White body. The ornament
outlined in black and painted in cobalt and turquoise-blue. (The same
ware as the well-known large jars at South Kensington and other
Museums.) H. 215 mm. M. Raymond Koechlin.
APPENDIX.
73
Fio 64.-From a fine Oriental maiolica lustre jar. One of a b^d of five
fish on the shoulder of the jar; the etched ornament on the fash is
different in each instance. Beneath the fish is » jL^i^^ « Votault
and below that a band of strap ornament. Dr. O. t ouquei.
74
APPENDIX*
FiG.65.— FRAGMENT (the centre of a bowl). Mezzamaiolica. White
body. The ornament is outlined in black and painted in blue, black,
and touches of deep red. Similar in style to well-known Xlllth cen-
tury Persian lustred ware. H. 12 cm. Henry Wallis.
APPENDIX.
75
Fig. 66. — FRAGMENT (the centre of a bowl). Mezzamaiolica, Red
body. The ornament outlined in black and painted in deep blue.
H. 16 cm. Henry Wallis,
76
Ari'ENDlX.
FlO. 67. — An incised slip ware; pale yellow glaze, part of the ornninenJ
painted in brown (much damaged). The notes referring to the size
and ownership of this piece are lost.
AITENDIX.
77
Fig. 68.— FRAGMENT (centre of a bowl). Mezzaniaiolica. White body.
The ornament reserved on black and covered with a blue glaze inclining
to turquoise : sometimes the same st^'le of ornament is reserved on a
golden lustred ground. H. 10 cm. Henry Wallis.
78
APPENDIX.
Fia. 69. — FRAGMENT (the centre of a bowl). Mezzamaiolica. White
body. The ornament outlined in black and painted in deep cobalt and
deep red. H. 10 cm. Henry Wallis.
APPENDIX.
79
Fio. 70. — FRAGMENT (the centre of a bowl). Mezzamaiolica. White
body. The ornament outlined in black and painted in blue and black.
Inscribed " The thanks " (to God). H. 11 cm. Henry Wallis.
80
APPENDIX.
Fig. 71. — FRAGMENT (the centre of a bowl). Mezzamaiolica. White
body. The ornament outlined in black and painted in blue and dull
green. Inscribed " Allah." H. 11 cm. Henry Wallis.
APrENDlX.
61
Fig, 72.— fragment. Maiolica
reserved on a brilliant golden lustre, taking purple reflections.
''The glory, the eminence, the excellence. II. 11 cm.
Henry Wallis.
White body. The ornament is
Inscribed,
82
APPENDIX.
Fift. 73.— FRAGMENT. Maiolica. Buff body. The oraament is in
brown lustre, Inscribed " Hllah" (.P)— the Kingdom is to God. H. 9 cm.
Henry Wallis,
APPENDIX.
83
Fia.74 FRAGMENT (the obverse and reverse). Mezzamaiolica. White
body. The oruament outlined in black and painted in blue and black :
Nesky inscription on reverse, a band of Cufic inscriptions conventionalized
as ornament on obverse. H. 8 cm. Henry Wallis.
84
APPENDIX.
Fig. 75.— FRAGMENT. Mezziimaiolica. Red body. A slip ware, Laving
the strap band incised and the Arabic characters in relief; the glaze is
a powerful yellow, the characters ai-e in burnt sieua and purple-brown.
The drawing is precise, but Avhen the light catches the piece at a certain
angle the definition is merged in a general ahimmer of scintillating
radiance. H. 8 cm. Henry Wallis,
APPENDIX.
85
Fig. 76.— ALBARELLO. Mezzamaiolica. White body. The ornament
in blue, which has run in places. H. 22 cm.
Baron Chiaramonte Bordonaro.
86
APPENDIX.
FrG._77.— ALBARELLO. _ Mezzamaiolica. White body. The ornament
in blue, which has run in places. H. 22 cm.
Baron Chiaramonte Bordonaro.
APPENDIX.
87
Fig. 78. — Portions of pavement-tiles from a tempera painting inscribed
'' THOMAVFS • DE • VIGILIA. pinxit • m.cccc.lxxxxii." Tho
picture is damaged, the tiles lightly sketched, being nearly obliterated.
For an account of this picture see — G. di Marzo. "La pittura in
Palermo nel Risorgimento." 1899. Palermo Museum.
88
APPENDIX.
Fig 79— two TILES, Tlie ornament is in blue. The square tile
'9 cm., the hexagonal 20 cm. long : both have b^en^cut ^^^ Museum.
APPENDIX.
89
FiO, 80. — TWO TILES. The ornament is in blue. The square tile
11 cm., the hexagonal 22 cm. long; both have been cut.
Palermo Museum.
90
APPENDIX.
Fig. 81.— BOCCALE (Italian). Buff-coloured Ijody: the ornament in
blue. The execution and style of design recall the Caracciolo tile, fig. 7
of the "Maiolica Pavement-Tiles "; the vessel may therefore represent
a ware preceding the jars. H. 13 cm. Henry Wallia.
APPENDIX.
91
Fig. 82.— fragment OF A WIDE ALBARELLO (Italian). Buff-
coloured body: the orBament outlined in manganese and painted in
cobalt, the colour not in impasto. From the facile execution of the
ornament and the assured technique the piece may be accepted as an
example of the oniameutal motive of the jars applied to later work.
Compare with fig. 1, Plate IX. of Prof. Argnani's "II Rinasciniento
delle Ceramiche Maiolicate in Faenza." 1898. H. 15 cm.
Henry Wallisr.
92
APPENDIX.
Fia. 83. — H. 15 cm. From a miniature in an illuminated MS. in the
University Library of Bologna (Cod. 2197). The codex is a Hebrew
translation of Book V. of Avicenna's " Canon in Medicine " — Kitdb al-
KdnunfilrTibh. See p. 71.
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