Pair of large, rare, maiolica bowls, probably from the Patanazzi workshop Height: 22.3 cm. Width: 50 cm. Depth: 46.5 cm. Urbino, 16th century. The tall foot formed by three lion's paws and volu - tes holds the deep trefoil bowl with slightly flanged lip. In between the trefoil leaves, sculpted satyr heads and foliage masks form handles. One bowl depicts a fisherman by a river with a reclining river god centred in the front, accompanied by two lions. The river is enclosed by city walls and can be seen flowing off into the background over a dam wall. The other bowl depicts Moses, striking water from a rock. Moses takes a step towards the rock and strikes it with a long staff. Two men in antique garments stand by his side, one of them, according to legend, possible being Aaron. At either side of the spring groups of figures collect water in bowls or drink directly from the spring. On the right, two camels are being watered. In front, a mother kneeling besides her small son is instructing him to drink from a bowl. The sky is painted with bands of clouds, revealing God giving instructions to Moses. In the middle- and back - ground of the painting there is a camp where Moses' people are staying with a backdrop of a mountainous landscape with trees. The exterior of the bowl is decorated with city- and seascapes. Painted in blue, yellow, ochre, manganese, green, brown, black and white. Glaze chips along the rims. Restored cracks. Notes I: The literary source for the depiction of Moses striking water from a rock can be found in the Old Testament, Book IV, Moses 20. Notes II: The depiction of the fisherman with the river god is a combination of two engravings by Philips Galle from 1578, which are located in the Rijksprenten - kabinet, Amsterdam. One of the engravings was copied in its entirety whilst only two figures have been borrowed from the other in order to adjust the scene to the different picture format. A very similar drinking bowl from Venice from the first half of the 17th century also displays a fisher - man after an engraving by Galle and is located in Sèvres, see Jeanne Giacomotti, Catalogue des majoliques des musées nationaux, Paris, 1974, pp. 449ff., plate 1336. Notes III: Bowls of this shape can also be found in the National Museum of Florence. They originate from a large table service, which was manufactured for the Duke of Urbino. Two further bowls can be found in the Museo Civico in Bologna as well as in the Wallace Collection in London. Another two are located in the Princeton University Collection and further examples at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. Literature: For a similarly shaped bowl, probably from the Fontana manufacture in Urbino circa 1579, see Jeanne Giacomotti, Catalogue des majoliques des musées nationaux, Paris, 1974, p. 339, plates 1034, 1035. For a large, round basin from the Patanazzi workshop, which depicts the same Moses scene in a similar style, located at the Museo Civico in Pesa ro, see exhibition catalogue, Maioliche del Museo Civico di Pesaro, Pesaro, 1979, no. 2. Among other details, the rendition of the head of the stooping man who is drinking straight from the river, shows strong parallels. The exterior of a large wine cooler from the workshop of Frances co Durantino at the Victoria & Albert Museum featu res a closely related illustration of Moses, striking water from a rock, see Elisa P. Sani, Italian Renai - ssance Maiolica, V&A, London, 2012, p. 105. It apears that the present bowl and the wine cooler were modelled on the same engraving. € 500.000 - € 700.000 52 For around 6,000 additional detailed images: www.hampel-auction.com
