Pilgrim bottle with screw top

Antoine Syjalon

1581 · Tin-glazed earthenware · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Satirical references to Catholic practice in the form of fantastic, dog-faced creatures holding rosaries and other accessories appear on this flask. It was probably made as a diplomatic gift for a foreign Protestant prince, Johann Casimir of Bavaria (1543–1592), whose arms appear on it. The decorative scheme of fabulous beings, fruits, birds, and masks is derived from the work of the engraver and architect Jacques Androuet du Cerceau (1510/12–1585).

Artist

Antoine Syjalon

Date

1581

Medium

Tin-glazed earthenware

Culture

French, Nîmes

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Samuel D. Lee Fund, 1941