Dish
Category
Ceramics
Date
1565 - 1575
Materials
earthenware, tin-opacifed lead glaze, polychrome pigments
Measurements
254 mm (Diameter)
Place of origin
Urbino
Order this imageCollection
Knightshayes Court, Devon
NT 540440
Summary
Dish (crespina), earthenware with tin-glaze (maiolica), of fluted form on a stemmed foot, made in Urbino, Italy, c. 1565-1575; painted with a scene from the New Testament of the Baptism of Christ, John the Baptist reaches out to a partly clothed figure of Christ, standing in a body of water, above them the holy spirit appears in the form of a dove, framed with trees and clouds.
Full description
This dish was formerly in the collection of Sir William Stirling-Maxwell (1818-1878), 9th Bt., of Keir, Perthshire, and later also Pollok, near Glasgow, Scotland. Much of the Maxwell and Stirling family wealth came from West Indian plantations with enslaved African labour, for which they received compensation in 1833. Stirling-Maxwell formed the largest collection of Spanish art in Britain, some of which remains at Pollok House, as the contents were gifted to Glasgow Corporation in 1967. Highlights of his maiolica collection was sold by his grandson Lt. Col. William Joseph Stirling (1911-1983) of Keir, Perthshire, Scotland, at Sotheby & Co., Catalogue of Fine Italian Majolica, 18 June 1946, the second of five items in lot 72, ‘A Venice Plate, painted in the istoriato style with a woman beckoning to a pedlar, blue hilly landscape in the background, 10 in., late 16th Century; a Tazza, painted with “The Baptism”, fluted border 9 ¾ in.; a late Faenza Plate with the Medici arms, orange and yellow tints, 10 in. ; another Plate; and a small tin-enamelled blue and white Castelli Plate with armorials and date 1610, 8¼in.’. The lot purchased for 12 guineas (£12 11s. 12d.) at the sale by "Sir J Amory", Sir John Heathcoat-Amory (1894-1972), 3rd Bt., of Knightshayes Court. The house, part of the collection, the garden Sir John and Lady Heathcoat-Amory created, and part of the estate were bequeathed to the National Trust by Sir John Heathcoat-Amory in 1972. The maiolica was later given by Joyce, Lady Heathcoat-Amory (1901-1997), née Wethered, a celebrated golfer.
Provenance
Donated by Joyce Lady Heathcoat-Amory