Lid and Bowl from a Childbirth Set

Gallery 354, European Art 1500-1850, third floor (Rubenstein Gallery)

Main Building

Lid and Bowl from a Childbirth Set

Mid- 1540s

Francesco Durantino (Italian (active Urbino and elsewhere), documented 1543–1575)

In Renaissance Italy, maiolica birth sets were presented as gifts to women upon the birth of a child and typically feature subjects appropriate for the occasion. These two pieces are among the very finest of this ceramic type as their decorations are especially detailed and well painted. Although surely idealized, the intimate scenes convey a wonderful impression of the Renaissance domestic interior. The lid fits snugly on top of the bowl, which was for broth intended to sustain the mother following childbirth, and likely would have been accompanied by other pieces as part of an elaborate multipart set.

Gallery 354, European Art 1500-1850, third floor (Rubenstein Gallery)

Object Details

Title:

Lid and Bowl from a Childbirth Set
Lid and Footed Bowl from a Childbirth Set

Date:

Mid- 1540s

Artist:

Francesco Durantino (Italian (active Urbino and elsewhere), documented 1543–1575)

Medium:

Tin-glazed earthenware (maiolica)

Dimensions:

Lid: 3/8 × 8 3/4 inches (1 × 22.2 cm) Bowl: 3 3/4 × 6 15/16 inches (9.5 × 17.6 cm)

Classification:

Containers

Credit Line:

125th Anniversary Acquisition. The Howard I. and Janet H. Stein Collection, 2000

Accession Number:

2000-154-4,5

Geography:

Made in Italy, Europe Probably made in Urbino, Italy, Europe

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Gallery 354, European Art 1500-1850, third floor (Rubenstein Gallery)

Main Building

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