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A magnificent Hispano-Moresque lustre pottery dish featuring a spread eagle, Valencia, probably Manises, circa 1435-60
Estimate
50,000 - 70,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- glazed pottery
with raised central boss, the honey coloured lustre design featuring an emblematic eagle
Condition
Complete and intact, as viewed.
"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
A large heraldic eagle, with extended wings and outstretched legs, painted in a dark golden lustre, dominates the decoration on the interior of this impressive dish. Although this motif is found on a number of Hispano-Moresque ceramic dishes, it is rare to find an example on which the eagle features so prominently on the front of the dish rather than being spread across the reverse. Stylistically comparable examples are now preserved in museum collections such as the Louvre Museum, (inv. no. OA 4034), the Victoria and Albert Museum (inv. no. 14-1907, 43-1907), and the Cloisters Collection in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (inv. no. 56.171.118). Although each of the eagles depicted on the cited examples are stylistically similar, none are completely identical, each bearing testimony to the individual potter’s craftsmanship, working from a mental repertoire of themes and motifs.
The emblem of the eagle on the present dish was painted against a background of small abstract floral motifs and an arrangement of foliate outlines on its head. This design, which resembles a small crown, viewed in combination with the golden reflections set off by the dark honey lustre colour with which it was painted, would have endowed the dish with regal connotations, and can possibly be associated with the arms of Sicily (see J. Louda and M. Maclagan, Lines of Succession: Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe, London, 1981, table 46).
The lustre technique, which finds its origins to ninth century Iraq under the Abbasid dynasty, became a highly prized medium of production in Spain after it was first introduced in cities such as Malaga and Granada in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. As the medium increased in popularity, new centres of production such as the town of Manises, a part of Christian Spain, were formed in the fourteenth century by encouraging the settlement of Moorish craftsmen. The present dish bears witness not only to the spread of Islamic techniques and designs in Europe but also the multifarious decorative possibilities offered by lustre.
The emblem of the eagle on the present dish was painted against a background of small abstract floral motifs and an arrangement of foliate outlines on its head. This design, which resembles a small crown, viewed in combination with the golden reflections set off by the dark honey lustre colour with which it was painted, would have endowed the dish with regal connotations, and can possibly be associated with the arms of Sicily (see J. Louda and M. Maclagan, Lines of Succession: Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe, London, 1981, table 46).
The lustre technique, which finds its origins to ninth century Iraq under the Abbasid dynasty, became a highly prized medium of production in Spain after it was first introduced in cities such as Malaga and Granada in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. As the medium increased in popularity, new centres of production such as the town of Manises, a part of Christian Spain, were formed in the fourteenth century by encouraging the settlement of Moorish craftsmen. The present dish bears witness not only to the spread of Islamic techniques and designs in Europe but also the multifarious decorative possibilities offered by lustre.