Plate with Venus in her chariot and Cupid, riding through a night sky

c. 1530/1535

Attributed to Nicola da Urbino or a close associate; probably lustered in the Workshop of Maestro Giorgio Andreoli of Gubbio

Associated Names
Nicola da Urbino

Ceramist, Italian, active 1520s - c. 1537/1538

Italian 16th Century

Ceramist

Maestro Giorgio Andreoli of Gubbio

Related Artist, Italian, c. 1465/1470 - c. 1553

This is a colorfully decorated plate. At the center, a cherubic child with light skin and wings stands atop a large vase full of flame, holding a bow and surrounded by red, green, and white clouds. On the right, a woman with light skin adorned in elaborate yellow and blue clothing is seated on a chariot facing the left, her long blonde hair flowing backwards. At the back of her chariot, a naked child with light skin appears tied, with their hands behind their back. On the left of the plate are two large birds with longs necks and blue, yellow, and green feathers. They stand in front of the chariot, facing left. At the top is another cherub, flying over the scene with orange flame in both their hands. The background of the plate is a rich, dark blue, with more billowing red and green clouds surrounding the scene. The rim of the plate is gold.

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On View

West Building Main Floor, Gallery M25

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    tin-glazed earthenware (maiolica)

  • Credit Line

    Widener Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (diameter): 25.8 cm (10 3/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1942.9.336

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Duveen Brothers); purchased February 1912 by Peter A. B. Widener, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania; inheritance from the Estate of Peter A. B. Widener by gift through power of appointment of Joseph E. Widener, Elkins Park, 1942.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1982

  • Sixteenth-Century Italian Maiolica; Selections from the Arthur M. Sackler Collection and the National Gallery of Art's Widener collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1982-1983, no. 46.

2004

  • La Ceramica Umbra al Tempo di Perugino [Ceramics in Umbria in the time of Perugino], Museo Regionale della Ceramica di Deruta, 2004, no. 75, repro.

Bibliography

1935

  • Inventory of the Objects d'Art at Lynnewood Hall, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, The Estate of the Late P.A.B. Widener. Philadelphia, 1935: 61, as Gubbio, c. 1530, probably executed by Maestro Giorgio, possibly after a design of the Raphael school.

1942

  • Works of Art from the Widener Collection. Foreword by David Finley and John Walker. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1942: 13, as Gubbio, about 1530.

1983

  • Wilson, Carolyn C. Renaissance Small Bronze Sculpture and Associated Decorative Arts at the National Gallery of Art. Washington, 1983: 120, no. 2.

1993

  • Distelberger, Rudolf, Alison Luchs, Philippe Verdier, and Timonthy H. Wilson. Western Decorative Arts, Part I: Medieval, Renaissance, and Historicizing Styles including Metalwork, Enamels, and Ceramics. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1993: 196-198, color repro. 197.

Markings

Duveen (?) label attributes plate to Maestro Giorglio, about 1530, and adds "Probably designed by Raphael himself (Berenson)"

Wikidata ID

Q62131088

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