16th Century Furniture

Fine Antique 16th Century French Tapestry 7’7" x 11’1".

Fine set of four wooden columns, entirely carved and gilded by hand, dating from the 16th century and of Spanish origin. The shaft has a two-level zig-zag carved pattern, (fishbone),...

Framed late 15th century illuminated Book of Hours manuscript circa 1500, France. Gouache, ink gold wash and gold burnishing on vellum. Framed within large decorative matt. In very g...

This magnificent tapestry was woven in Flanders during the middle of the European Renaissance, in the late 1500s. At this time, Flanders was creating some of the best textiles in the world, and many of the rich wooded scenes with animals and hunting motifs began to appear. Tapestries subjects were thick forests and park lands, hunting scenes filled with deer, birds, exotic animals, and even mythological creatures. These were later referred to as Game Park tapestries...

RARE RENAISSANCE FLORENTINE WALNUT CABINET WITH CERTOSINA DECORATION ORIGIN: FLORENCE, ITALY PERIOD: END OF 15th CENTURY – BEGINNING OF 16th CENTURY Height: 129 cm Length: 107 cm...

Estienne, Charles De re hortensi libellus (A small book on gardening); . . . vulgaria herborum, florum ac fruticum qui in hortis conseri solent nomina latinis vocibus efferre docens ...

A very nicely decorated plate with a rare size 14-11-18-1-1 Condition Overall condition a (Good) lots of rimfrits as to be expected from this type of kraak porcelain. ...

16th century lost wax cast bronze Venugopala form of Krishna, India The Venugopala form of Krishna playing the flute is to Vaishnavite iconography what Nataraja is to the Shaivites:...

These beautiful wall candle holders come from a private castle that was decorated in the style of the Gdansk Baroque. The candlesticks were bought in the 1960s in a Gdansk candlestic...

Formerly known as the "Master of Magione", Nero Alberti da Sansepolcro established a workshop around Perugia in the mid 16th century specializing in the production of devotional imag...

This remarkable 16th-century Spanish altar cross is a stunning example of ecclesiastical silverwork. Crafted from solid silver, the cross features the traditional depiction of Christ...

A large 16th century Venetian cedar. wood Cassone is an exquisite example of the craftsmanship characteristic of the Italian Renaissance period, featuring beautifully detailed scenes dating to circa 1550-1580. Made from cedar wood, the chest has a deep, rich patina. Cedar wood was prized during the Renaissance for its durability and resistance to decay, making it an ideal choice for fine furniture intended to last for generations. In Renaissance Venice, cassoni were a standard part of a bride's dowry among the nobility and wealthy merchant classes. Venice was a thriving trade hub with a population of about 150,000 in the mid-16th century, and the upper classes commissioned these chests . The decoration of the chest is particularly breathtaking. Its surface features intricate figural panels that depict various scenes, which include historical, mythological, and symbolic representations. Among these are 16th century knights, chariots, mythical beasts, and lions. The designs are expertly silhouetted against a recessed ground, giving a three-dimensional quality that enhances their visual impact. The use of punch-work, a decorative technique involving the stamping of the wood with a mesh-like pattern, adds texture and depth to the surfaces. This technique is indicative of the meticulous attention to detail for which artisans in Italy were known during this period. Overall, this Venetian Cassone...

Antique ceramic covered box from the Sawankhalok kilns, Thailand of paneled globular form with a brown glazed flat top having incised bands around ...

Publisher: Daniel Vervliet and Hendrik Swingen for Jan I Moretus & Jan I van Keerberghen Place / Date: Antwerp, 1599 Biblia sacra. Dat is de geheele heylighe schrifture bed...

A petite Chinese Ming dynasty green glazed terracotta court official figurine from the 15th or 16th century, with original polychromy. Attracting our eye with its vibrant polychromy,...

The Tibetan lamellar iron armor with dark patina, provided with shoulders and helmet, can be traced back to the 17th-18th centuries and is in excellent condition. It belonged to a pr...

A wall hanging tapestry, simply put, is a textile specifically designed and woven to portray an artistic scene with the intent of hanging it on a wall. Antique tapestries, those that...

Catalan Baroque S.XVI The Adoration of the Magi Oil on wood 92cm x 68cm Dated 1527 At the beginning of the Renaissance period, Gothic forms coexisted in Catalonia with other new solutions, in which religious fervor was mixed with the attention to detail of everyday life. Following the medieval tradition, the altarpieces are thought from a narrative vision, and flat painting...

Circa 1550 late Ming Dynasty blue & white porcelain bowl, Chinese. Elegantly flaring rim with "Dahlia Zhara" entwined inner & outer underglaze blue decoration. For the Persian market...

Portapaz. Silver in its color and gilded. Century XVI. Portapaz made of silver that has a handle (decorated with delicate plant motifs similar to those of the pilasters) and a female and a male bust at the bottom, as well as other architectural elements on the back, and, on the front, an architectural composition classicist basement (with busts flanking a flower and a cross), two pilasters (vegetal decoration and capital recalling the composite order) with entablature (flowers flanking an angel's head; moldings), and a semicircular arch finish with elements veined in relief under cross and flanked by two architectural motifs in the upper part. This composition frames and enhances a gilt silver relief where you can see the Lament or Cry over the Body of Christ, with the Virgin holding the head of Jesus, Saint John at her side, the Magdalene and other characters, a cross following the group and a landscape background with houses and plant elements. This architectural structure mentioned is similar to the one present in other 16th century portapaces, such as that of the Magdalena de Dos Hermanas parish (Hernando de Ballesteros el Mozo, around 1575); or that of the Galaroza parish (same author and date); or that of the portapaz of San Miguel de Jerez de los Caballeros (in some details); etc. As for the relief, it is possible to clearly see a strong Italian influence, and the similarity between it and important pieces such as the Portapaz known as “de Cisneros by Juan de Burgos (1493-1497; MuseoCatedralicio de Alcalá de Henares), as well as in paintings and reliefs. Also noteworthy are both the male and female busts in the lower area and the Maltese cross (or Saint John's) that appears in this area. This symbol was used since the 12th century as an insignia by the Knights Hospitallers of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, also known as the Order of Malta...

Large solid oak chest from the 16th century Gothic period Very pretty French, Norman work. Decorated with Gothic motifs on 5 panels on the facade. Note reassembly in the 18th and 19...

Elevate your space with the Brussels 16th Century Pillow a 19 x 10 masterpiece of timeless design. Bring a touch of historical elegance to your décor

Bolognese School of the 16th Century Mummy of Saint Catherine of Bologna
Oil on Panel 20,5 x 7 x 0,8 cm This rare painting depicts Saint Catherine of Bologna as a mummy, housed in a ...

Paolo di Giovanni Sogliani (Florence 1455-1522) Processional Cross Florence, around 1515 Enameled, chiseled, engraved, stippled, and gilded copper; wooden core ; Inscription: "OPA...

Elizabethan , Joined Oak , Court Cupboard Circa 1600 . Elizabethan carved cup and cover columns , original candle shelf , two upper doors and central panel beautifully inlaid with ho...

Introduce a piece of history to your home with our Brussels 16th Century Pillow. Measuring 17" x 12", its classic design and generous size offer a blend of elegance and comfort for a...

SMALL TUSCANY TABLE FROM THE RENAISSANCE PERIOD ORIGIN : FLORENCE, ITALY PERIOD : 16th CENTURY Height: 69,4 cm Length: 59,4 cm Depth: 51 cm ...

This rare and extraordinary 16th-century French sculpture depicts the iconic Pietà, showcasing exceptional craftsmanship and emotional depth. Finely carved from wood and adorned with...

Original lock and key This piece of furniture shows no recess on its upper part. It opens with four folding-doors and two drawers within the belt. The key bears the date 1524 above cross motifs. Burgundy and Lyon regions subordinated themselves to architecture in a different manner than the other french schools. Rather than using particularly columns and pediments pieces of furniture from Lyon borrow architecture’s organization principles and rigorous designs. On the upper body a strong feeling of balance and symmetry appears with the folding doors reliefs. Swags of flowers and fruits held with knot cloth centered by a man seating on his arms. Here profiles, masks and chou de Bourgogne mingle with the structuring scrolls. The two lateral terms wear draperies and the goddess Diana in the center wears a belt of fruits similar to Hugue Sambin’s designs (Termes de Diane et de Venus, 1554, BNF). The two palm-leaves enriched drawers and the alternating scrolls belt balance the weight of the cornice with its alternatings consoles and tops. The lower body is also adorned by three terms with a feminine one in the center, all three are wearing fruits on their heads. The folding doors are centered upon a motif of cut cuirs by a mask in high relief. Wearing a feathered tiara...

This is a wonderful bird's-eye plan/view of the oldest city in Sweden. Visby, the largest city on the island of Gotland was an important Viking city and the main centre of the Hanseatic League...

A wall hanging tapestry, simply put, is a textile specifically designed and woven to portray an artistic scene with the intent of hanging it on a wall. Antique tapestries, those that...

A wall hanging tapestry, simply put, is a textile specifically designed and woven to portray an artistic scene with the intent of hanging it on a wall. Antique tapestries, those that...

Early Arista y Cuenca tile made in Toledo. Azulejo Toledano. Alhambra tile decorated in renaissance mudejar style geometrical design. Probably made between 1550 and 1575. In very g...

The beautifully carved front façade is not the only impressive element of this oak strongbox trunk; the interior is reinforced with an iron strapwork “cage”, strengthening the alread...

RARE RENAISSANCE TABLE WITH FIXED TOP ORIGIN: FRANCE PERIOD : SECOND HALF OF THE 16th CENTURY, c. 1560-1580 Height: 87 cm Length: 158 cm Width: 78 cm Walnut wood Good condition...

A panel of Cisele Velvet Venetian and dating from second half of 16th century An Ottoman Pomegranate design. The deep pile Magenta silk velvet voided to reveal a gold metallic groun...

Late 16th century Venetian cedar wood cassone wedding chest featuring finely detailed carving in the champleve decorative style on both the front...

Child Jesus Polychrome and gilded wood Umbria, first half of the 16th century H 40 cm Entirely naked, the Child is standing, leaning on his left leg, his right leg forward; he keep...

A very impressive Westphalian Gothic chest or ‚Stollentruhe’, Westphalia, Germany, circa 1500-1550. Wrought iron mounted oak, partially carved. The monumental rectangular standing ch...

Rare, small, late-Renaissance, Nuremberg, iron, 'armada box', strongbox or travelling safe with its original, naïve, painted decoration This is a rare, s...

France / 1550 / sideboard / oak / rustic / antique / wabi sabi Hard to find antique sideboard in full oak with handcrafted sculpted panels, made in France, around 1550. This impress...

The antique bronze Thai Buddha statue is a captivating and historically significant artifact. Crafted from bronze and bearing traces of 24-karat gold gilding, this statue stands at 2...

Friar armchair. Leather, walnut wood. Spain, 16th century. Armchair with arms and high back of the type known as “frailero”, which has studded leather on the seat and upper part of ...

Oakwood Original lock and key   This beautiful and robust chest stands on square feet ending in flattened buns. The base presents plain mouldings. The facade is divided in four panel...

Belgium / 16th century / wooden sculpted panel / oak / Gothic / Rustic / Antique A panel in oak wood enriched with Gothic graphic carvings. Hand carved in Belgium in the 16th centur...

This is a small black-glazed jar made in Korea between the 15th and 16th centuries. White porcelain is famous in Korea, but this was a type of porcelain that was only allowed to be u...

Ptolemaic map of the Arabian Peninsula based on the 1548 map of Giacomo Gastaldi. It covers nearly all of the peninsula, but does not include the head of the Red Sea. The coastlines ...

Sea monster Carrara marble mouth fountain Italy, late 16th century It measures 13.8 x 31.5 x 18.9 in (35 x 80 x 48 cm) State of conservation: some small evident gaps and widespread signs of wear due to outdoor exposure. The gray marks crossing it do not come from restoration, but are rather the natural veins of the marble. This work has some morphological characteristics typically associated with the iconography of the sea monster: an elongated muzzle, sharp teeth, protruding eyes, elongated ears, and a coiled serpent's tail. An in-depth series of studies on artistic depictions of the sea monster attempted to verify how this symbol evolved in antiquity in the European and Mediterranean contexts and how it gradually changed its image and function over time. The iconography itself is mutable and imaginative and its history is rich with cultural and artistic exchange, as well as the overlapping of ideas. This occurred so much that it is difficult to accurately pinpoint the "types" that satisfactorily represent its various developments. However, we can try to summarize the main figures, starting from the biblical Leviathan and the marine creature that swallowed Jonah (in the Christian version, this figure was to become a whale or a "big fish", the “ketos mega”, translation of the Hebrew “dag gadol”). Other specimens ranged from the dragons mentioned in the Iliad (which were winged and had legs) to "ketos” (also from Greek mythology), the terrifying being from whose Latinized name (“cetus”) derives the word "cetacean". See J. Boardman, “Very Like a Whale” - Classical Sea Monsters, in Monsters and Demons in the Ancient and Medieval Worlds, in Papers presented in Honor of Edith Porada, Mainz am Rhein 1987, pp. 73-84). In Italy the monster underwent yet further variations: it can be found in Etruscan art on the front of some sarcophagi representing the companion of souls, while among the Romans we find the “Pistrice” (cited by Plinio in Naturalis Historia PLIN., Nat., II 9, 8 and by Virgilio in Eneide: VERG., Aen., III, 427), which appeared in the shape of a stylized hippocampus or a very large monstrous cetacean and evolved into a hideous being with a dragon's head and long webbed fins. During the Middle Ages, the sea monster was the object of new transformations: at this time, it is often winged, the head is stretched like a crocodile, the front legs are often very sharp fins - sometimes real paws - until the image merges with dragons, the typical figures of medieval visionary spirituality widely found throughout Europe (on this topic and much more, see: Baltrušaitis, J., Il Medioevo fantastico. Antichità ed esotismi nell’arte gotica, Gli Adelphi 1997). In Italy during the 15th and 16th centuries, the revival of classicism - representative of the humanistic and Renaissance periods - led to a different reading of these "creatures". Indeed, the sea monster was also to find widespread use as an isolated decorative motif, especially in numerous fountains and sculptures where dolphins or sea monsters were used as a characterizing element linked to water (on this theme see: Chet Van Duzer, Sea Monsters on Medieval and Renaissance Maps, London, The British library, 2013). From the morphological point of view, the "sea monsters" of this period are mostly depicted as hybrid figures, in which the body of a mythological or real being (a hippocampus, a sea snake, a dolphin), is joined to a head with a rather indistinct appearance. It was usually characterized by large upright ears, an elongated snout, sharp teeth and globular, protruding eyes; a complex and indefinite figure, both from the symbolic point of view and from that of its genesis. The work we are examining is placed as a cross between the medieval sea serpent and the Renaissance dolphin, with stylistic features which recall the snake as often used in heraldry (such as the "snake" depicted in the coat of arms of the Visconti - the lords and then dukes of Milan between 1277 and 1447 - and which, for some, may be derived from the representations of the “Pistrice” that swallowed Jonah). In the search for sources, Renaissance cartography and in particular woodcuts should not be neglected. See for example the monsters of Olaus Magnus, from the editions of the “Historia de gentibus septentrionalibus” (“History of the peoples of the north”) and the natural histories of Conrad Gesner, Ulisse...

Mechelen dolls are rare wooden devotional figurines (mainly walnut was used), which were made by some members of the Guild of Saint Luke. The figures, all individual saints, were made from reference models using highly regulated carving and polychrome techniques. They had to meet several requirements. The shape of the rug had to meet certain criteria and the letter M (from Mechelen) had to be visible in the shape. These devotional or saint figurines...

Antique print titled 'Abbildung der Statt Rom/wie sie under Keyser Vespasiano und zu Plinii zeiten gewesen'. Woodcut of ancient Rome. This print originates from Munster's Cosmographi...

Oak sculpture of Saint Anne, 16th century. Large oak sculpture of Saint Anne. Work from the Upper Rhine, Basel region. First third of the 16th century. An arm is missing from the i...

Provenance: Oudenaarde manufacture, Flanders, Mid-16th Century Tapestry wool and silk texture Dimensions 340/330 x 340/338cm Extremely rare piece In good condition Washed and lined It is a typical Flemish tapestry "with large leaves", well preserved, woven with green, yellow and brown yarns whose colors have remained fresh and intense. The market and collectors in recent decades have greatly re-evaluated tapestries with "large leaves", appreciating their high decorative value and ability to blend in with modern furnishings. Our tapestry belongs to a very particular subcategory of the "feuille de...

Set of Spanish tiles of the 'dos por tabla/ type in the Arista y cuenca tile made in Toledo. This particular type was to adorn ceilings. Tile decorated in renaissance style with a c...

The simplicity of this Benjamin Goodison console is what sets it apart from most of Goodison’s work. The free-flowing design of the c-scroll legs wit...

Probably Kirman, 16th/17th Century, Persia. Of Low rounded profile, on short a foot and with sloping rim, this Kirman blue and white dish with white slip decoration and stylized dens...

Early Arista y cuenca tile made in Toledo. Tile decorated in renaissance style with interlacing lines ending in four stylized flowers was probably made between 1550 and 1575.

As soon as 1540 France's second Renaissance is in the making, intimately linked to the rediscovery of the Antique world. The development of the printing and engraving industry allows the spread of artworks and models in many cities and countries. The Italian influence can be perceived in every artistic field. While the French king entrust the most talented Italian artists with major projects such as Il Rosso or Primaticcio in Fontainebleau, French artists also travel to Italy to form themselves to this new style. In Italy they get acquainted with the work of Leo Battista Alberti the first to theorize perspective (De Pictura, 1435-36) and architecture (De re oedificatoria, 1541). Those two publications would have a revolutionary impact on arts. Furniture is marked by the work of the most famous Italian architects of the time as well as French architects. Indeed Philibert de l'Orme competes with Alberti and by the end of his life publishes several treaties including one devoted to a theory of architecture (1567). Unfortunately he would not live to complete the second volume. In this treaty he expresses his interest for mathematical norms applied to architecture, copied from the Antique. His journeys in Italy allowed him to accumulate the most sophisticated references. Jean Bullant, another architect of great talent also theorizes his practice. He establishes rules characterizing Greco-Roman art staying faithful to Vitruvius. Following this new inspiration the structure of furniture evolves. From then on appear columns, capitals, cornices, friezes and architraves. The ornamentation uses this inspiration as well with egg-and-dart, palm leaf and rose adorning the most beautiful pieces. In Lyon, crossroad where meet merchants from everywhere those new experiments are welcomed. Lyon florishing printing industry allows the spreading of models and treaties essential to the artist's work. Thus the first publication of Vitruvius' De Architectura in France would be printed in Lyon in 1532. Artists from Lyon rediscover and familiarize themselves with the Antique knowledge very early. They adopt those new ideas and use them in their own creations. Lyon cabinet-makers re interpret Antique architecture and Italian Renaissance palaces to give their pieces a pure and harmonious architectural structure. Grooved pilasters are particularly favored. They are topped by capitals of diverse orders always respecting the sequencing with simpler ones for the lower levels and the richest ones on the higher levels. As for the ornamentation, one of the great distinctiveness of Lyon workshops remains the architectural perspective illusions, drawing inspiration from Tuscany. True masterpiece of the Second French Renaissance this important cabinet illustrates Lyon workshops' taste for fine Italian architecture inspired by Antiquity. An architectural perspective of great quality is treated in symmetry on each panel. This two-bodied cabinet without recess stands on four rectangular feet. The base comprises a molding, a palm leaf frieze and is bordered by a braid. The lower body is divided by three grooved pilasters with Tuscan capitals framing two door-leaves. The two panels are encircled by a moudled frame with palm leaves. They are finely carved with a decor of fantasized architecture depicting an Italian Renaissance palace erected symmetrically on each side of a grooved pilaster. On the ground floor a door opens through a stilted arch while the stories are opened with mullioned windows, dormers and occuli. Two large pegged-boss cladded pillars support the entablature enriched by a palm leaf frieze upon which stands an arch whose coffered intrados is centred by a rose. Behind this arch a pyramid appears, standing in front of a second facade with a window topped by a broken curvilinear pediment under a cul-de-four with a shell. The checker flooring gives depth to the low-reliefs creating vanishing points structuring the panels and guiding the eye of the observer. A thin laurel braid highlights the belt of the cabinet where are located two drawers. Their facades are adorned by palm leaves in hoops. The upper body is encircled with palm leaves. The same ternary division as in the lower body appears. However, the pilasters are topped by Ionic capitals with volutes and egg-and-dart. The door-leaves are framed with flowers. On the panels the artist has designed another architectural decor. On the foreground open two arches on top of grooved pilasters with rectangular capitals adorned with palm leaves. The arches are enriched with braids and the coffered intrados bears a decor of roses. The spandrels also bear a flower decor. In the background another arcature hosts a fluted grooved column topped with double basket acanthus capital, characteristic of Corinthian order. The triangular pediment is interrupted by a choux bourguignon. A large cornice crowns the cabinet. It stands on pilasters and forms an entablature comprising a palm leaf frieze and an egg-and-dart, triglyph and palm leaf cornice. The cabinet's sides have also been carefully considered. The lower body's panels are enriched with an arch rising above a broken pediment portico hosting a twisted column. Flowers garnish the spandrels. An architectural facade completes the decor. The upper body's panels present two arches supported by a facade opened with dormers and mullioned windows as well as cartouches (one bears the inscription 1580 dating the cabinet) suggesting the interior of an Italian Renaissance palace, confirmed by the chandeliers. The flooring leads our gaze to a second arch with a broken curvilinear pediment where stands a flower vase. This arch opens onto a perspective of another facade along a road. Inside the cabinet, on the lower body door-leaves appear two designs. On the right door is depicted a Crucifixion. Saint Mary and Saint John flank the Christ on the cross. In the bottom part is inscribed « Dure uiator abis nihil haec spectacula curas / Pendenti cum sis unica cura Deo. / Tota suo moriente dolet natura Magistro. / Nil qui solus eras caussa dolenda doles. ». The signature [Christoff Swartz Monachiensis pinx[it] / Ioa[nnes] Sadeler sculp[it]] tells us it was made by Johan Sadeler I (1550-1600) after Christoph Schwartz (1548-1592). This engraving belongs to an ensemble depicting the Passion of Christ Johan Sadeler executed in 1589 after an altar piece painted by Christoph Schwartz for the private chapel of Renée of Loraine, wife of Duke William V of Bavaria. This altar piece made of nine copper panels has been destroyed during the 19th century. The Crucifixion panel once in the centre of the altar piece is the only one that survived and is today kept in Munich's Alte Pinakothek. On the left door appears Saint Francis receiving the stigmata. The inscription says : « Signastidomine Servum Tuum. Franciscum. Signis Redemptionis Nostrae ». This Renaissance cabinet with an architectural decor appearing as much in the structure faithful to Antique rules...

WE HAVE THE PLEASURE TO PRESENT an Exceptionally Rare (Late Medieval) 16th Century German Wrought Iron Oak Chest or Stollentruhe. This is an Early...

An authentic, ancient and exceptional Three Jina Shrine. For it’s age the altarpiece is in a very good condition and rather large. The image of three standing, nude Jinas flanked by the other 21 seated Jinas is rare. The lintel of the shrine is showing the nine comets and three seated figures...

A large Limoges enamel plaque depicting the Annunciation, rounded at the top, signed and dated in gold (S.C.) N.B. 1543. Dimensions: 24.5 x 19 cm. Incl. frame 33.5 x 26.7 x 1.5 cm. ...

Entrance door of a city Moughal XVI-XVII century North of India Deeply carved Teak wood with floral desigs With iron rings and sticks to avoid the elephant hits . Maharashtra, ...

Antique map titled 'Asiae IIII Tab'. Beautiful map of Mercator's Ptolemaic map of the Holy Land, Cyprus, Syria, etc. Originates from Mercator's 'Geograph...

Antique map titled 'Indiae Orientalis Insularumque Adiacientium Typus'. Ortelius includes early European depictions of both Japan and China and is the first to name Formosa (Taiwan). The Philippines and East Indies or Spice Islands are shown based upon Portuguese and Spanish sources, and before their penetration by the Dutch. Japan is shown in kite form, as a large oval island...

Acquareccia plate Patanazzi workshop Urbino, last quarter of the 16th century It measures diameter 17.12 in; foot diameter 11.53 in; height 1.88 in (43.5 cm; 29.3 cm; 4.8 cm). Weight State of conservation: wear and a few small minimal detachments of enamel, chipping on the raised areas, peeling of enamel at the brim on the back. This large, shallow basin is equipped with a wide and convex well. It is umbonate with a contoured center. The brim, short and flat, is enclosed in a double rounded and barely raised edge. The basin has a flat base without rims; it has a slightly concave center in correspondence to the well. The shape takes inspiration from the basins associated with the metal forged amphora pourers that traditionally adorned the credenza. These were used from the Middle Ages to wash hands during banquets. Two or three people washed their hands in the same basin and it was considered an honor to wash one’s hands with an illustrious person. The decoration is arranged in concentric bands with, in the center of the umbo, an unidentified shield on a blue background: an oval banded in gold with a blue head, a gold star and a field with a burning pitcher. Rings of faux pods separate the center from a series of grotesque motifs of small birds and masks. These go around the basin and are, in fact, faithfully repeated on the brim. The main decoration develops inside the flounce of the basin, which sees alternating symmetrical figures of winged harpies and chimeras. The ornamentation, outlined in orange, green and blue, stands out against the white enamel background. This decorative style, defined since the Renaissance as “grottesche” or “raffaellesche”, refers to the decorations introduced after the discovery of the paintings of the Domus Aurea towards the end of the fifteenth century. The discovery of Nero's palace, buried inside Colle Oppio by damnatio memoriae, occurred by chance when a young Roman, in 1480, fell into a large crack which had opened in the ground on the hill, thus finding himself in a cave with walls covered with painted figures. The great artists present in the papal city, including Pinturicchio, Ghirlandaio, Raffaello, immediately visited these caves. The decorations found there soon became a decorative subject of immense success: the term grotesque , with the meaning of “unusual,” “caricatured,” or “monstrous,” was later commented by Vasari in 1550 as “una spezie di pittura licenziose e ridicole molto”( “a very licentious and ridiculous kind of painting”). The decorations “a grottesche” also widely circulated in ceramic factories, through the use of engravings, variously interpreted according to the creativity of the artists or the requests of the client. Our basin is reflected in similar artifacts produced at the end of the sixteenth century by the factories of the Urbino district. See the series of basins preserved in the main French museums, among which the closest in morphology is that of the Campana collection of the Louvre (Inv. OA1496); this however has a more complex figure decoration, while the decoration of our specimen is sober and with a watercolor style. The style, sure in its execution, approaches decorative results still close to the works produced around the middle of the sixteenth century by the Fontana workshop. The decoration is closely linked to their taste, which later finds its natural outlet, through the work of Antonio, also in the Patanazzi workshop. Studies show the contiguity between the two workshops due to the kinship and collaboration between the masters Orazio Fontana and Antonio Patanazzi, both trained in the workshop of Guido Fontana il Durantino. It is therefore almost natural that their works, often created according to similar typologies and under the aegis of the same commissions, are not always easily distinguishable, so much so that the presence of historiated or “grottesche” works by Orazio is documented and preserved in Antonio Patanazzi's workshop. Given that the studies have always emphasized the collaboration between several hands in the context of the shops, it is known that the most ancient “grottesche” works thus far known, can be dated from 1560, when the Fontana shop created the so-called Servizio Spagnolo (Spanish Service) and how, from that moment on, this ornamentation became one of the most requested by high-ranking clients. We remember the works created for the Granduchi di Toscana, when Flaminio Fontana along with his uncle Orazio supplied ceramics to Florence, and, later, other commissions of considerable importance: those for the service of the Duchi d’Este or for the Messina Farmacia of Roccavaldina, associated with the Patanazzi workshop when, now after 1580, Antonio Patanazzi began to sign his own work. Thus, in our basin, the presence of masks hanging from garlands, a theme of more ancient memory, is associated in the work with more advanced stylistic motifs, such as the hatching of the chimeras and harpies. These are found here on the front with the wings painted in two ornate ways. In addition, the theme of the birds on the edge completes the decoration along the thin brim and can be seen as representing an early style typical of the Urbino district during a period of activity and collaboration between the two workshops. Later, a more “doll-like” decorative choice, typical of the end of the century and the beginning of the seventeenth century, characterized the period of the Patanazzi workshop under the direction of Francesco. Bibliography: Philippe Morel, Il funzionamento simbolico e la critica delle grottesche nella seconda metà del Cinquecento, in: Marcello Fagiolo, (a cura di), Roma e...

Title: Bird's-Eye View of Blâmont in Lorraine by Braun and Hogenberg, 1597 This copperplate engraving, published in 1597 by Braun and Hogenberg, depicts a bird's-eye view of the t...

A Flemish Renaissance Biblical Tapestry 16th century In an open architectural setting, the central crowned and enthroned female figure flanked by three handmaidens, a fourth to the left urging a boy towards a kneeling woman on the right with an apple in her right hand, on the left a wooded landscape with a man walking in the distance, a man striking another over the head in the mid-ground, and a man, a woman, and a handmaiden approaching the scene in the foreground, on the right a man gesturing while others flee up a staircase and out of the scene, within a flower and fruit cluster surround punctuated along the top and bottom edges by balustrades and sphinxes, and along the sides by a figure, a mask, and a beaded and crowned man...

This is a woodcut city view of Worms, published in Sebastian Münster's *Cosmographia* around 1578. The image depicts a bird's-eye view of the city of Worms, located in Rheinland-Pfal...

Title: Rare 1592 Woodcut of Deer from Sebastian Münster's "Cosmographia" Description: This remarkable woodcut, published in Basel in 1592, originates from Sebastian Münster's mon...

This large terracotta pignata pot with half glaze, hand-thrown in Cutrofiano-Lucugnano, Puglia, dates from the late 1800s to early 1900s and exemplifies the essence of "ceramica rust...

Sharing with you this very nicely decorated and rare 16th century Ghendi with a green and yellow dragon decoration. It is in very good condition. Provenance: Collected in the 1980's...

Experience the allure of history with our Brussels 16th Century Pillow, measuring 19" x 8". Immerse your living space in the intricate beauty of 16th-century Brussels design, meticul...

Allegory of Time. Oil on panel. Circle of Jacob de Backer (act. Antwerp, 1571-1585). Exhibition: “Reality, time and artifice. Still life and vanitas in baro...

Elevate your decor with the Brussels 16th Century Pillow, measuring 18" x 9". This exquisite piece seamlessly blends historical charm and contemporary style for a touch of timeless e...