The Italian Renaissance maiolica tradition was taken to France by Italian potters and developed in Lyon and Nevers from the late 16th Century.

The later development of this tradition in the 17th Century is demonstrated by this large and impressive dish, probably used by a high status family for formal dining. The subject is Joseph with his brothers and the composition is directly copied from a woodcut illustration after Bernard Solomon in a French bible, the 'Quadrins Historiques de la Bible' printed in Lyon in 1553.

Provenance

Philippe Rapin, Paris, 1997; A & J Speelman, London, 1998.


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