Probably from the Workshop of Girolamo di Lanfranco dalle Gabicce, Italian, Dutchy of Urbino, Pesaro, circa 1540-50

Christie's Rome, May 1973, lot 51.

According to Greek mythology, when the King of the Lapiths, Pirithous, married his bride Hippodamia, he invited the Centaurs, who, not acquainted with the effects of wine, became extremely inebriated and unruly. When Hippodami was presented to the crowd, Eurytion, one of the Centaurs, attempted to kidnap her, spurring a battle between the disorderly centaurs and the Lapiths. Ultimately, the Lapiths were able to conquer the Centaurs, with the help of the Greek hero, Theseus. This conflict became known as the Centauromachy and acted as the inspiration for various forms of art in the ensuing centuries.

Artistic maiolica production in Pesaro was revived when Girolamo di Lanfranco dalle, from Gabicce (between Pesaro and Rimini) set up his own workshop in 1525 specializing in istoriato wares. This revival of maiolica production in Pesaro was most likely linked to the fact that Duke Guidobaldo II Della Rovere moved the focus of court life from Urbino to Pesaro after the death of his father in 1538.