Vase with love motifs

Unknown

ca. 1470–90 · Maiolica (tin-glazed earthenware) · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Amorous symbols decorate this vessel. On one side, a graceful bird clutches a scroll inscribed with a romantic dedication: Non te posso lassar (I cannot leave you). This declaration of fidelity is paired, on the opposite side, with the image of an arrow piercing a heart from which flowers and acorns bloom. The broad span of the handles and the two-sided design suggest that it was intended more for display than for storage—possibly as a gift between lovers.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1470–90

Medium

Maiolica (tin-glazed earthenware)

Culture

Italian, Deruta

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, by exchange, 1965