{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O128966"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O128966/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2008BV4786/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2008BV4786/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2008BV4786","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2007BM1673","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2007BM7448","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2007BM1672","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006AP1061","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2017KC8158","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O128966/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O128966","accessionNumber":"C.2153-1910","objectType":"Dish","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"Decoration of this sort, known as <i>grotteschi</i>, became fashionable in Renaissance Italy following the discovery in Rome, in about 1480, of the so-called Golden Palace of the Emperor Nero. The excavated chambers contained perfectly preserved wall and ceiling paintings, comprising fantastical creatures, ribbons and festoons. These ornaments provided artists of all kinds with a rich source of inspiration. The almost infinite possibilities of design gave them the means to fulfil the desires of the Renaissance market for beauty, abundance, caprice and wit.\r\n\r\nOvid's <i>Metamorphoses</i>, recounting lively tales from Classical mythology, was much used by Renaissance artists. In 1497 a Venetian printer, Zoane Rosso, published a new edition of the text accompanied by allegorical interpretations and illustrative woodcuts that became essential sources for maiolica painters. The first Italian translation was printed in 1522, which greatly increased the popularity of Ovid and set the precedent for further translations into the vernacular. Ovid was extremely important to the humanistic tradition of the Renaissance, and was studied alongside Circero, Horace and Virgil.\r\n\r\nAccording to the Greek myth, Leda was approached by the god Zeus, masquerading as a swan, and the subsequent union resulted in the birth of Helen, who later became the wife of Theseus, King of Athens, and renowned for her very great beauty.\r\nThe story of Leda conformed very neatly with the importance of dynastic fulfilment and the continuation of a noble lineage in Renaissance society. Such a plate would have been admired not just for its beauty and erudition in recalling episodes from classical mythology  but may also have appealed to the Renaissance inclination to the erotic. Indeed, numerous plates bearing such mythical or allegorical themes lifted their subjects directly from such sources as Giulio Romano's <i>I modi</i>, the notorious erotic prints illustrative of various sexual positions.\r\n\r\nThe figure of Fortune is adapted from an engraving by Nicoletto da Modena; it differs from its source in the position of the left arm and the elimination of all accessories. The whole composition of the design is strongly reminiscent of the panels of grotesques by the same engraver.\r\n\r\nThe fan-like flowers on the back are a peculiarity of Cafaggiolo.","physicalDescription":"Dish. Painted with a grotesque composition covering the whole surface. In the middle, in a medallion flanked by ram's heads, Leda and the Swan, with the name LEDA on a tablet. Above the medallion, between two crouching boys holding cornucopias, springs a flower supporting a figure of Fortune. The back is painted in blue with stylized flowers ('mezzaluna dentata') motifs on scrolled stems on the rim and the monograph SP in the middle.\r\nColours are blue, orange, yellow, green and red.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Jacopo (Maestro)","id":"A20450"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":"probably"}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"earthenware","id":"x29356"},{"text":"tin glaze","id":"AAT233436"}],"techniques":[{"text":"painting","id":"x30598"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Tin-glazed earthenware","categories":[{"text":"Ceramics","id":"THES48982"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"CER","id":"THES48594"},"images":["2008BV4786","2007BM1673","2007BM7448","2007BM1672","2006AP1061","2017KC8158"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"64 (VA)","id":"THES49735"},"free":"","case":"5","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Dish","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Cafaggiolo","id":"x35306"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"ca. 1515","earliest":"1510-01-01","latest":"1519-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Bequeathed by George Salting, Esq.","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Diameter","value":"39.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"5.2","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Weight","value":"1.74","unit":"kg","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"Measured for the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"'SP'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"monogram on the reverse\r\n\r\nSticky label: HUNEGG"}],"objectHistory":"Formerly part of the Parpart and Spitzer Collections\n\nHistorical significance: According to the Greek myth, Leda was approached by the god Zeus, masquerading as a swan, and the subsequent union resulted in the birth of Helen, who later became the wife of Theseus, King of Athens, and renowned for her very great beauty.\r\nThe story of Leda conformed very neatly with the importance of dynastic fulfilment and the continuation of a noble lineage in Renaissance society. Such a plate would have been admired not just for its beauty and erudition in recalling episodes from classical mythology  but may also have appealed to the Renaissance inclination to the erotic. Indeed, numerous plates bearing such mythical or allegorical themes lifted their subjects directly from such sources as Giulio Romano's <i>I modi</i>, the notorious erotic prints illustrative of various sexual positions.\r\n\r\nThe figure of Fortune is adapted from an engraving by Nicoletto da Modena; it differs from its source in the position of the left arm and the elimination of all accessories. The whole composition of the design is strongly reminiscent of the panels of grotesques by the same engraver.\r\n\r\nThe fan-like motifs on the back,  called 'mezzaluna dentata' are typical features of Caffaggiolo production.","historicalContext":"Decoration of this sort, known as <i>grottesche</i>, became fashionable in Renaissance Italy following the discovery in Rome, in about 1480, of the so-called Golden Palace of the Emperor Nero. The excavated chambers contained perfectly preserved wall and ceiling paintings, comprising fantastical creatures, ribbons and festoons. These ornaments provided artists of all kinds with a rich source of inspiration. The almost infinite possibilities of design gave them the means to fulfil the desires of the Renaissance market for beauty, abundance, caprice and wit.\r\n\r\nOvid's <i>Metamorphoses</i>, recounting lively tales from Classical mythology, was much used by Renaissance artists. In 1497 a Venetian printer, Zoane Rosso, published a new edition of the text accompanied by allegorical interpretations and illustrative woodcuts that became essential sources for maiolica painters. The first Italian translation was printed in 1522, which greatly increased the popularity of Ovid and set the precedent for further translations into the vernacular. Ovid was extremely important to the humanistic tradition of the Renaissance, and was studied alongside Circero, Horace and Virgil.","briefDescription":"Dish with grotesques and central medallion depicting Leda and the Swan, probably painted by Jacopo, Cafaggiolo, ca. 1515.","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Rackham, B. <u>Italian Maiolica</u>.  London: Faber & Faber"},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Watson, Wendy M, <u>Italian Renaissance Ceramics From the Howard I. and Janet H. Stein Collection and the Philadelphia Museum of Art</u>, exh.cat. Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2001"},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Syson, Luke & Dora Thornton, <u>Objects of Virtue: Art in Renaissance Italy</u>, London: The British Museum Press, 2001"}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[{"text":"Leda","id":"N202"},{"text":"Jupiter","id":"N99"}],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"grotesques","id":"AAT10211"},{"text":"Swan","id":"x30241"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["C.2153-1910"],"accessionNumberNum":"2153","accessionNumberPrefix":"C","accessionYear":1910,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"Rackham (1977)","id":"THES56972"},"number":"310"}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":["2019LP4193","2019LT5048","2019LW0235"],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-16","recordCreationDate":"2006-11-03","availableToBook":false}}