Collection

Albarello with Persian Palmette Motif, c. 1490–1510

Italian


By the late fifteenth century, polychrome wares had replaced the more limited palette of Severe-style majolica, adding new shades of gold and green. Plant forms predominated, particularly an elegantly scrolled “Gothic-floral” leaf motif. This Tuscan albarello, perhaps from Cafaggiolo, has a staggered design of pine cones derived from Persian palmettes. Albarelli, cylindrical vessels of Near Eastern form, were widely used in pharmacies to store herbs, honey, and ointments.

Provenance

Provenance

(Luigi Grassi, London);

purchased by Kimbell Art Foundation, Fort Worth, 1979.