An Urbino dish from the Isabella d'Este service circa 1524

painted by Nicola da Urbino with the arms of Gonzaga impaling Este, the broad rim with scenes of the Fall of Phaeton, on one side of the dish the young man kneeling in supplication to his father the sun god Helios, while on the other side he falls from his chariot into the river below, Phaeton's sisters the Heliads appearing from behind a tree from which hangs a shield bearing an impresa of ribbon-tied lottery tickets ( some restoration, haircrack)

Provenance:

Maurice de Rothschild, Paris

Robert Lehman collecton, sold at Christie's 4th April 1977, lot 40

J.Rasmussen, Italian Majolica in the Robert Lehman Collection, no.67.11, p.249

The piece has been broken and restored, with a large loss. The dish is original from around 6 o'clock to 12 o'clock, including almost all of the well. The border from 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock is a fired ceramic replacement, (presumably dating from around 1900 and pehaps by Cantagalli), which has been set more recently in modern restoration material which can be seen on the reverse. There is spray and overpainting along the break line between the two pieces.There is a haircrack to the left of the kneeling Phaeton, running towards the centre, approx. 3in.
"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."

The arms are those of Isabella d'Este (1474- 1539), Marchioness of Mantua and daughter of the Duke of Ferrara. Though her husband Francesco II died in 1519, she continued, as was the normal practice, to use their marriage arms. Over the following twenty years, '"the dowager Isabella continued to be one of the most active and discriminating of Renaissance art patrons and collectors'"(Dora Thornton and Timothy Wilson, Italian Renaissance Ceramics)

Her daughter Eleonora was married to Francesco Maria Della Rovere, Duke of Urbino, and on 15th November 1524 wrote from Pesaro to her mother:

"Thinking of visiting Your Excellency with some of the products of this country, which might please you...I have had made a credenza of earthenware vessels, and I am sending it to Your Excellency by Battista, my steward, the bearer of this letter, since the maestri of this country of ours have some reputation for good work...you might make use of it at Porto, since it is a villa thing (cosa da villa)...it is my wish to think of nothing more than to please you..."

This piece comes to the market following the remarkable discovery of the 'Hippomenes and Atalanta' dish, sold in Paris earlier this year, which brought the total of known pieces from the Isabella d'Este service to twenty-three.

That dish, two others in long-term ownership, and the present lot are now the only known pieces remaining in private hands from '...the most celebrated Renaissance istoriato service in existence.' (Thornton and Wilson, op.cit)

For illustrations of nearly all the known pieces from the service, including the present lot, see Rasmussen, op.cit., pp.246-251.