CIRCA 1560, WORKSHOP OF ORAZIO FONTANA

Details

The central part of an Urbino istoriato charger (piatto di pompa)
Circa 1560, workshop of Orazio Fontana
Painted with a group of soldiers between tents before the Castel Sant Angelo, to the right Cloelia being given as a hostage to the King of Clusium seated on a throne before an open tent, the foreground with Cloelia standing on the banks of the Tiber with her companions, on the left Cloelia crossing the river seated on a horse with a companion, the reverse inscribed in blue with CLELIA ROMANA between blue scrolls (uneven edge and poorly filled area at 11'clock, slender replacement sections between 8 and 9 o'clock, 5 and 6 o'clock and 3 and 4 o'clock to make object more circular, section between 1 and 2 o'clock restuck, three fine cracks from rim visible at back), sold with an elaborate 18th Century pierced carved circular giltwood frame
12½ in. (31.8 cm.) wide

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis

Sale room notice

Please note that this lot should have been marked with the triangle symbol in the catalogue. Full deatails can be found in the back of the catalogue pg 100. Under Important notices and explanation of cataloguing.

Lot Essay

As with the previous lot, this lots depicts scenes of heroism from the siege of Rome by the Etruscans. Clelia, or Cloelia, became one of the heroines of early Roman history. She was one of ten daughters and ten sons of patrician Roman families who were handed over to the Etruscan King of Clusium, Lars Porsena, as part of a treaty. Cloelia escaped to Rome by crossing the Tiber on horseback, and she persuaded the other daughters to swim after her. They were all sent back by the Romans, but in respect for her bravery, Lars Porsena awarded her with a horse and her freedom.

This dish simulaneously depicts three scenes of her story; in the background on the right she is delivered as a hostage to Lars Porsena, in the foreground on the right she stands on the banks of the Tiber with her companions, and on the left she crosses the Tiber on a horse. The Castel Sant Angelo in the background of this dish emphasises, anachronistically, that the scene is set in Rome.

The subject is taken from Livy, A.U.C. Book II, Chapter 13. The elaborate tents and the subject taken from Livy echo the Guidobaldo de Montefeltro Service of the same date.

More from CONTINENTAL CERAMICS

View All