Italian Decorative Ceramic Plate, Renaissance Decoration, Late 19th / Early 20th

This decorative dish is of Italian origin, attributable to an artistic maiolica manufacture active in central Italy, most likely within the Urbino / Pesaro area, historically associated with the revival of Renaissance decorative models.
Based on stylistic, technical and material criteria, the piece can be dated to the late 19th – early 20th century, a period marked by historicist reinterpretations of Italian Renaissance ceramics.

The dish features a shaped outline with two prominent side handles, fully glazed, and rests on a small circular foot.
The interior decoration is centered on a figurative medallion depicting an allegorical scene of a winged putto riding a dolphin, rendered in grisaille tones inspired by Renaissance prototypes.

Surrounding the central medallion is a rich and carefully structured grotesque decoration, composed of winged putti, griffins, scrolling foliage and ornamental elements, arranged in strict symmetry. The rim is enhanced with ochre leaf borders, cobalt-blue outlines and polychrome accents.

The exterior is decorated with stylized floral motifs, ornamental trophies and heraldic-inspired elements, all hand-painted and consistent with the interior decoration.

• Fine ceramic body

• Hand-painted decoration

• White tin-glazed enamel

• Metallic oxide pigments (cobalt blue, ochre, copper green, manganese)

• High-temperature firing

A monogrammed underglaze mark visible on the base, together with workshop marks, supports the attribution to an artistic Italian manufacture of the period.

This dish belongs to the tradition of Italian historicist maiolica, produced for a cultivated clientele and for the international decorative arts market, particularly in France, at the turn of the 20th century. Comparable examples attributed to Urbino and Pesaro workshops appear in specialist auctions and on Proantic.

Height - 8 cm

Width - 34.5 cm

Depth - 26 cm