Viterbo - Mid-14th Century - Polychrome Majolica Bowl With A Zoomorphic Figure

A splendid polychrome majolica bowl depicting a zoomorphic figure (a reed) whose iconography is strongly influenced by the figures found in the medieval bestiary.
The figure, with wide-open eyes and surrounded by pointed leaf motifs, finds parallels in Viterbo ware, characterized by a strong fantastical figurative influence—though frozen in an archaic phase—to which our bowl can be attributed, given the use of the two colors present here: copper green and manganese brown, used respectively for the decoration and the outlines.
The animal is still highly idealized; its anatomy is rendered in a stylized and unrealistic manner.
The figure’s personality and iconography, as well as the polychromatic tones and the scattered pointed leaves symbolizing (rather than depicting) the natural environment, are typical elements of archaic Viterbo production, dating to the mid-14th century.
An extraordinary object, with some chips and missing parts in the decoration, which nevertheless do not compromise the figuration or its aesthetic appeal.
Not restored. Dimensions: 11.5 x 15 x 6 cm (H)