Vase with love motifs

ca. 1470–90
Not on view
Amorous symbols decorate this vessel. On one side, a graceful bird clutches a scroll inscribed with a romantic dedication: Non te posso lassar (I cannot leave you). This declaration of fidelity is paired, on the opposite side, with the image of an arrow piercing a heart from which flowers and acorns bloom. The broad span of the handles and the two-sided design suggest that it was intended more for display than for storage—possibly as a gift between lovers.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Vase with love motifs
  • Date: ca. 1470–90
  • Culture: Italian, Deruta
  • Medium: Maiolica (tin-glazed earthenware)
  • Dimensions: Overall (confirmed): 10 1/8 × 7 1/2 × 11 1/4 in. (25.7 × 19.1 × 28.6 cm)
  • Classification: Ceramics-Pottery
  • Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, by exchange, 1965
  • Object Number: 65.6.3
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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