Trilobed Footed Basin

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Trilobed Footed Basin

Artist Orazio Fontana or his Workshop (Italian, ca.1510-1571)

Place of OriginUrbino, Italy

Dateabout 1550-1560

DimensionsH: 9 in.; W: 20 in.

MediumTin-glazed earthenware, known as maiolica

ClassificationCeramics

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Florence Scott Libbey Bequest in Memory of her Father, Maurice A. Scott

Object number

1953.168

Not on View

Label TextBasins such as this were filled with fragrant water so guests of wealthy Italian families could wash their hands between courses of a meal. The interior depicts the abduction of Helen, the beautiful wife of the King of Sparta, by Paris, prince of Troy. The struggling Helen is being pulled into a boat, while Paris, running to escape the pursuing Spartan soldiers, holds onto her garment from behind. The design is based closely on an engraving after a drawing by the Mantuan court artist, Giulio Romano (about 1499–1546). Maiolica painters frequently copied compositions by famous artists, and owning such works was considered a sign of taste and refinement. For more maiolica, see the case in Gallery 19.Published Referencesvon Erdberg, Joan Prentice, "Outstanding Maiolica at the Art Museum, Princeton University," The Burlington Magazine, vol. CIII, no. 700, July 1961, p. 304.

cf. Chompret, J., Repertoire de la Majolique Italienne, Paris, 1949, 2 vols., fig. 1039.

A Guide to the Collections, Toledo, Toledo Museum of Art, 1966, repr.