Albarello Faenza, c. 1550-1570 Majolica. Height... Lot 10

Albarello Faenza, c. 1550-1570 Majolica. Height 25 cm. Conservation: restored chipping to foot and upper rim Although lacking a cartouche, this albarello in its general characteristics responds to the most typical and sought-after majolica apothecary jar in the 1500s. In fact, it shows robust and classic cylindrical-body form, somewhat tapered on the median area, low flared foot of diameter equivalent to that of the mouth, which has an everted rim. On the frontal area, inside an oval medallion, bordered by an ovular frame and flanked by two harpies, is a depiction of St. Barbara, virgin and martyr, who with her left hand clutches a book, a symbol of a studious life, while with her right hand she displays the attributes associated with her legend: the tower where she was imprisoned and the palm of martyrdom. Arranged on the remaining surface of the vase are "trophies" of weapons (breastplate, shield, mace, crest, torch, rods, etc.), while toward the foot and shoulder are painted two bands with running motif of leaves, and at the ends wide bands in yellow. Painted in orange, light blue, blue, grisaille, yellow, and green. Of this work, in full polychromy, the pictorial quality imparted to the figure of the saint, the harpies and the "wide trophies" through a decanted chromatic drafting of the half-tone and the adoption of a light ductus of the outlines already responding to the characteristics of the "compendiary" manner of the so-called "whites," developed in Faenza after 1550, especially in the workshops of Calamelli, Bettisi and Utili. Similar "wide trophies," made in "grisaille," developed contemporaneously in the Marche region, but in Faenza in this form they find stringent evidence of workmanship both through marked (1) and dated works, such as a boccia from the Museo Civico di Bologna dated "1569" (2), and through countless finds of workmanship resulting from urban excavations, some on a "berettino" background and others in polychrome on a white background (3) 1) RAVANELI GUIDOTTI 1998, pp. 392- 401 2) RAVANELLI GUIDOTTI 1985, card no. 70 3) RAVANELLI GUIDOTTI 1998, p. 394 fig. 11, p. 396 and fig. 18 Bibliography RAVANELLI GUIDOTTI 1985 RAVANELLI GUIDOTTI CARMEN, Western Ceramics of the Museo Civico di Bologna, Casalecchio di Reno (Bologna), 1985 RAVANELLI GUIDOTTI 1998 RAVANELLI GUIDOTTI CARMEN, Thesaurus of works of the Faenza tradition from the collections of the Museo Internazionale delle ceramiche in Faenza, Faenza 1998