Ewer (Brocca)

Factory: Medici Porcelain Factory (Italian, Florence, ca. 1575–ca. 1587)

Date: ca. 1575–87

Culture: Italian, Florence

Medium: Soft-paste porcelain

Dimensions: Overall (confirmed): 8 × 4 1/4 × 4 7/8 in. (20.3 × 10.8 × 12.4 cm)

Classification: Ceramics-Porcelain

Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917

Accession Number: 17.190.2045

Description

Porcelain was first produced in Europe in Florence under the patronage of Francesco de Medici, grand duke of Tuscany (r. 1574–87). This ewer, one of only fifty-seven known pieces of so-called Medici porcelain, combines numerous influences: the form is related to goldsmiths' work and to majolica, the blue-and-white scheme is Chinese, and the floral decoration is borrowed from Isnik pottery.

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