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A Castelli maiolica syrup-jar of 'Orsini-Colonna' type, circa 1545-55, attributed to the workshop of Orazio Pompei
Estimate
15,000 - 25,000 GBP
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Description
- maiolica
- 27.7cm., 10 7/8 in. high
the baluster body with and yellow and blue dragon's head spout and broad strap handle, each side painted with a head and shoulders profile portrait of a man with beard or a moustache, against an orange ground painted with blue foliage, above a yellow-edged label named for OXIZACCARA, the reverse with blue scrolls,
Provenance
Anon. sale, Sotheby's London, 3rd July 2012, lot 9.
Literature
Related Literature
Marco Ricci (et. al.) Le Maioliche Cinquecentsche Di Castelli, Brescia, 1989, pp. C152-C159, for other examples of this form.
Marco Ricci (et. al.) Le Maioliche Cinquecentsche Di Castelli, Brescia, 1989, pp. C152-C159, for other examples of this form.
Condition
In overall good appearance and condition. There is some minor scattered flaking and glaze losses only.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
This syrup jar forms part of a group of pharmacy bottles, albarelli and syrup jars which in the past have been attributed to various locations but most often to Faenza. Archaeological work in the 1980's has shown that the group was made in the small town of Castelli. Most of the vessels, following fragments excavated below the family house, can now be firmly attributed to the workshop of Orazio Pompei. The findings of which are pubslished by Ricci, op. cit.
Although at least three jars of this type have the arms of the Orsini family, they have come to be called 'Orsini-Colonna' type after Bernard Rackham used the term to describe a pharmacy bottle in the British Museum painted with the Orsini bear hugging a column representing the Colonna family. See Dora Thornton and Timothy Wilson, Italian Renaissance Ceramics, A Catalogue of the British Museum Collection, Vol. II, London, 2009, pp. 540-544, no. 338.
As discussed by Ricci, the stylistic features of the vessels can be put into a form of chronological order; those found on the present vessel place it into author's group II. Though differing slightly, the treatment of the painted portraits are close to those seen on syrup jar illustrated by Ricci, ibid, p.C157, nos. 384, which was sold at Sotheby's Florence, 19th December 1975, lot 353.
'Oxizaccara', or Oxysacchara; oxysaccharum was a product obtained by evaporating a mixture of sugar and vinegar, sometimes with the addition of pomegranate juice to a syrupy consistency.
Although at least three jars of this type have the arms of the Orsini family, they have come to be called 'Orsini-Colonna' type after Bernard Rackham used the term to describe a pharmacy bottle in the British Museum painted with the Orsini bear hugging a column representing the Colonna family. See Dora Thornton and Timothy Wilson, Italian Renaissance Ceramics, A Catalogue of the British Museum Collection, Vol. II, London, 2009, pp. 540-544, no. 338.
As discussed by Ricci, the stylistic features of the vessels can be put into a form of chronological order; those found on the present vessel place it into author's group II. Though differing slightly, the treatment of the painted portraits are close to those seen on syrup jar illustrated by Ricci, ibid, p.C157, nos. 384, which was sold at Sotheby's Florence, 19th December 1975, lot 353.
'Oxizaccara', or Oxysacchara; oxysaccharum was a product obtained by evaporating a mixture of sugar and vinegar, sometimes with the addition of pomegranate juice to a syrupy consistency.