Albarello
Faenza, maiolica, mid-century XVI
Deepening
The extraordinary albarello presents a rich decoration in “quarters”, enclosing acanthus leaves and leafy whorls enriched by “grotesque” motifs. On the front is a medallion with “Alexander the Great on horseback”. The “historiated” scene has been attributed to Nicolò da Fano, a maiolicapainter from the Marche region who worked around the middle of the sixteenth century in the workshop of Virgiliotto Calamelli. The cartouche with the pharmaceutical indication “Zuc° Rosatu”, that is pink sugar, attests the belonging of the albarello to an ancient spice shop.