Name of Object:

Dish with conical boss

Location:

Coimbra, Portugal

Holding Museum:

Machado de Castro National Museum

About Machado de Castro National Museum, Coimbra.

Original Owner:

João Maria Correia Ayres de Campos, Count of Ameal

Date of Object:

15th century

Museum Inventory Number:

MNMC 3448

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Clay modelled on the wheel and glazed (lustre-ware).

Dimensions:

Height 7.5 cm, diameter (of rim) 38 cm, diameter (of base) 9 cm

Period / Dynasty:

Mudéjar

Provenance:

Manises, Valencia, Spain.

Description:

A large plate turned on a wheel, with an elevated central boss (umbonate). It is profusely decorated with copper-chestnut, with sections in blue, on a white background with metallic lustre. The central subject, heraldic in style, occupies the entire base of the piece and consists of a two-headed eagle, with a crown, surrounded by stylised plant motifs – ivy leaves. The same decorative motifs are repeated on the flat part of the rim, interspersed by four large leaves (similar to parsley leaves) accentuated in blue. The reverse of the object is decorated with stylised marks consisting of inward curving lines, reminiscent of initials. It has three equidistant spurs resulting from the mark left by the trivets. This is a luxury but practical object, used as tableware as a substitute for metal objects, which it imitates in its design.

View Short Description

Bossed dish from Manises in the Valencia region. The town’s ceramics tradition dates back to the Islamic period. This luxury item has a central, heraldic-style motif consisting of a two-headed eagle with a crown surrounded by stylised plant motifs.

How date and origin were established:

Probable dating by stylistic analogy with the class of gilded lustre-ware ceramics from Manises (15th–18th century). The Muslims of Valencia continued its production until the 18th century, introducing more varied profiles and new shapes, as well as variations in its decoration, especially in the use of polychromy. For this reason it is thought that this piece may belong to the early period of production in Manises. In addition, the stylised elements on the reverse of the object are still characteristic of the 15th century.

How Object was obtained:

It was obtained in 1921, through donation.

How provenance was established:

Manises is the source of the metallic painted lustre-ware which developed a large market as luxury objects all over Europe during the 15th century.

Selected bibliography:

Vente d'Objets d'Art. Collections Comte de Ameal. Catalogue Descriptif, Lisbon, 1921, no. 2157.

Citation of this web page:

Ana Alcoforado, António Pacheco, António Pacheco "Dish with conical boss" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;pt;Mus01_C;40;en

Prepared by: Ana AlcoforadoAna Alcoforado

SURNAME: Alcoforado
NAME: Ana Maria

AFFILIATION: Machado de Castro National Museum, Coimbra

TITLE: Museum Director

CV:
A History graduate, Ana Maria Alcoforado is Director of the Machado de Castro National Museum in Coimbra and Curator of the Sculpture collection since 1989. Her research and publications focus on Portuguese sculpture.
, António PachecoAntónio Pacheco

SURNAME: Pacheco
NAME: António

AFFILIATION: Machado de Castro National Museum, Coimbra

TITLE: Curator of the Ceramics Collection

CV:
António Pacheco is a History graduate and has been Curator of the Ceramics collection at the Machado de Castro National Museum since 1989. His research and publications are focused on Portuguese ceramics.
, António PachecoAntónio Pacheco

SURNAME: Pacheco
NAME: António

AFFILIATION: Machado de Castro National Museum, Coimbra

TITLE: Curator of the Ceramics Collection

CV:
António Pacheco is a History graduate and has been Curator of the Ceramics collection at the Machado de Castro National Museum since 1989. His research and publications are focused on Portuguese ceramics.

Translation by: Gilla Evans
Translation copyedited by: Monica Allen

MWNF Working Number: PT 57

RELATED CONTENT

 Artistic Introduction

 Timeline for this item

Islamic Dynasties / Period

Mudejar period


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Mudéjar Art | Mudéjar Ceramics

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