Large moulded dish with Harpy border decorated in blue with a putto supporting a double coat-of-arms in centre flanked by putti and surmounted by a coronet
Dish with coats of arms of Mazzarosa and Sardi families, Savona, Italy, 1663 –78, Tin-glazed earthenware, The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust) © The Courtauld

Dish with Coat of Arms

Savona, Italy, 1663-78

In the late 17thÌýcentury ItalianÌýmaiolicaÌý(tin-glazed earthenware) often adopted the sculptural forms of silverware. Potters from the northern Italian coastal town of Savona in LiguriaÌýwereÌýfamed forÌýtheir sumptuous blue and white pottery,ÌýimitatingÌýboth the decoration on Chinese porcelain and the shapes of precious silverware. TheyÌýused moulds to create imposing shapes for their tableware, to which were often added family crests.

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Two men sit across from each other at a table covered with a brown tablecloth, playing cards. Both men wear overcoats and hats, and the man on the left smokes a pipe. They sit inside a wooden building. Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) The Card Players, around 1892-96, The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

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