Dish with scene of Christ at Supper with Simon the Pharisee and with the Arms of Orsini Impaling della Rovere, 1528
Circle of Nicola da Urbino (Italian, ca. 1480–1538); lustered in the workshop of Maestro Giorgio Andreoli (Gubbio)
Tin–glazed earthenware (maiolica), with luster; Diam. 18 5/16 in. (46.5 cm)
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975 (1975.1.1103)
Felice della Rovere (d. 1536) was the illegitimate daughter of Pope Julius II. In 1506, she married the Roman nobleman Giangiordano Orsini, lord of Bracciano, and their arms appear together on this splendid dish. In 1528, the date painted on the reverse, Felice was a widow. A few years earlier, Isabella d'Este, marchioness of Mantua, was given a set of maiolica when already a widow, and it may be that maiolica was thought to be a proper gift for a noble widow. For this piece, the painter has relied on a print by Marcantonio Raimondi for his composition. It illustrates the scene described by Saint Luke (7:36–50) of Christ at supper in the house of Simon Pharisee, during which Mary Magdalene dried his feet with her hair.
Related
Index Terms
Artist
- Maestro Giorgio Andreoli (Gubbio)
- Nicolo da Urbino, probably Nicola di Bagriele Sbarage (Italian, active from ca. 1520, died 1537/38)
