Plate with Paris Killing Achilles and arms of the Calini family
Nicolo da Gabriele Sbraghe
ca. 1525 · Maiolica (tin-glazed earthenware) · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Classical mythology and biblical history are the most popular themes found on Renaissance maiolica. For inspiration, painters looked to widely circulated prints, carefully modifying the rectangular compositions to better suit the round, contoured surfaces of tableware. Here, the artist altered a print by pushing the story’s most important elements—such as Achilles’s vulnerable heel—to the edge of the plate so that they would remain visible regardless of the presence of food. The arms seen on the plate have been identified as those of the Calini of Brescia.
- Artist
- Nicolo da Gabriele Sbraghe
- Date
- ca. 1525
- Medium
- Maiolica (tin-glazed earthenware)
- Culture
- Italian, Urbino
- Department
- European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
- Credit line
- Purchase, Funds from various donors, 1884
