Property from a Swiss Private Collection, Lots 630–637 formerly in the Rothschild Collection
Italian, Ferrara, Second Half 15th Century
Inkwell in the form of Saint George and the Dragon
Auction Closed
February 7, 08:37 PM GMT
Estimate
30,000 - 60,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Property from a Swiss Private Collection, Lots 630–637 formerly in the Rothschild Collection
Italian, Ferrara, Second Half 15th Century
Inkwell in the form of Saint George and the Dragon
decorated a sgraffito; at the back of the inkwell, there are two semicircular openings open onto with two hollow compartments with an inkwell in the shape of a globular vase on one side and a candlestick on the other
tin-glazed earthenware (maiolica)
height: 11 ¼ in.; 28.6 cm
Baron Gustave de Rothschild (1829-1911);
Baron Robert de Rothschild (1880-1946);
Baron Alain de Rothschild (1910-1982);
By descent;
Sold--Paris, Couturier-Nicolay, 14 December 1990, no. 31.
A. P. Darr, P. Simons, and T. Wilson, ‘Italian Renaissance and Later Ceramics’ in Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts 87, no. 1-4, no. 36, cited on p. 82, no. 3.
Saint George was the patron saint of the city of Ferrara. Only seven Ferrarese sgraffito-ware inkwells with the figure of Saint George slaying the dragon are known, and the present piece is part of a group of three in which the ceramicist substituted St. George in Western dress for Turkish garb and a turban. Furthermore, the present piece is a rare variant with the rider asleep and leaning on his right arm while the dragon bites his knee.
The two other a sgraffito inkwells illustrating Saint George in Turkish-style clothing are in the Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg and the Faenza Museum. All early representations depict St. George as a Western horseman, but the origin of this variant is not known. One clue may be the fact that he was born in Turkey.
In his study of Ferrarese sgraffito ceramics, Virgilio Ferrari questioned the curious substitution of Saint George with an “oriental” figure in the inkwell in the Faenza Museum, formerly in the collection of Galeazzo Cora, which was published in 1951.1 The historian suggested a plausible theory that ceramicists were influenced by the diplomatic relationships between Borse d'Este (1413 - 1471), Duke of Ferrara, and the Sultan of Babylon and the Sultan of Tunisia, Abu Omar Othman.
Trade began in 1462 when Borso d'Este sent various missions to Tunis accompanied by gifts for the Sultan. In 1464, the Sultan sent the duke an ambassador accompanied by "five Barbary horses, an Arab saddle with golden stirrups, Turkish breed dogs, very fine fabrics and vases di zibetto.”2 Trade began in 1462 when Borso d'Este sent various missions to Tunis accompanied by gifts for the sultan, for the purchase of Arab horses.
We are grateful to Professor Timothy Wilson and Mrs. Greta Kaucher for their invaluable contributions to the research on this entry.
1G. Cora, ‘‘Cavalli’ e maioliche italiane’ in Faenza, II-III, pp. 31-38
2V. Ferrari, La Ceramica grafitta ferrarese nei secoli XV-XVI, Ferrara, 1990, pp. 123-125