Dish with angel

Unknown

ca. 1510–30 · Maiolica (tin-glazed earthenware), lustered · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Small religious pictures were considered an essential component of the Renaissance domestic interior, as they provided opportunities for private worship. This display dish converts a large public image—the angel is borrowed from a famous fresco painting in Perugia—into one designed for quiet reflection in the home. The addition of a book underscores the purpose of this image as a model for the viewer, who might imitate the pious angel by studying a devotional text.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1510–30

Medium

Maiolica (tin-glazed earthenware), lustered

Culture

Italian, Deruta

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, by exchange, 1965