A pair of monumental vases with scenes from "Jerusalem Delivered"

probably Pietro Papi Italian

1670

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 503

Torquato Tasso’s Jerusalem Delivered, a complex tale of crusaders in Jerusalem first published in 1581, was an endless source of artistic inspiration for Italian maiolica producers, including this pair of monumental vases by the Papi workshop, based in Urbania, a town in the Marche region of Italy. The most distinctive aspect of these vases is the combination of polychrome and monochrome blue palettes in the depiction of scenes from the epic poem. By 1670, maiolica makers of exuberant, eye-catching forms such as this pair vied with the strong European demand for Chinese blue and white porcelain.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: A pair of monumental vases with scenes from "Jerusalem Delivered"
Maker: Papi workshop (Italian)
Maker: probably Pietro Papi (Italian, act. in Urbania in the second half of the 17th century)
Date: 1670
Culture: Italian, Urbania
Medium: Tin-glazed earthenware (maiolica)
Dimensions: 31 1/2 × 18 7/8 × 13 3/4 in. (80 × 48 × 35 cm)
Classification: Ceramics-Pottery
Credit Line: Purchase, Wrightsman Fellows and Friends of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts Gifts, 2022
Object Number: 2022.492.1, .2
Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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