Dish with bird, second half of the 16th century

Engobed, graffitied and painted terracotta

Estense Foundation Collection, inv. CFE II.42

The small-sized dish features a flattened calotte cavetto and an outward-facing, rounded rim. In the center is depicted a bird resting on a branch, surrounded by stylized vines and plant motifs. The technical and stylistic characteristics of the decoration, obtained by engraving with a stylus on a thin layer of fired white clay (engobe) that was subsequently colored with oxides and covered with a lead glaze, allow the dish to be referred to a Veneto production of the late 16th century. The object is part of the Fondazione Estense’s collection of antique ceramics: consisting of more than 500 items, this one documents the typological and decorative variety of ceramic productions with particular attention to the central-northern Italian area. In addition to productions from Emilia and Romagna, objects produced in Veneto and Lombardy appear, offering an articulate picture of the material culture and productions of one of the largest areas of production of graffito ceramics.