Early-17th century, Portuguese faience ovoid shaped vase of longtrumpet like flaring neck, resting on a circular raised foot. The whitetin glazed surface featuring cobalt-blue painted decorative motifs.The ornamental band embracing the broad body bulge ischaracterised by juxtaposed pseudo-geometric triangular cartouches,formed by alternating parallel lines of assorted thicknessesframing spirals, and forming a zigzag pattern. This central ring isencased by two plain and parallel cobalt-blue horizontal borders.The body is joined to the neck and to the foot stand by protrudingrings of identical colour.A triangular geometric composition, comprising of threeoblique parallel lines, centrally filled by identical number in quartercircles, fills the vase’s neck. The circular stand, defined by a bandof continuous decorative spirals, supports a tall foot of deep circularledge.This singular and rare example of serialised geometric motifsdecoration, features a hybrid combination of various influences,from which stand out those from Chinese porcelain, via the blueand white colouring and specific decorative motifs, namely spirals (cf.: Intro. Ch. I); from Renaissance majolica production, specificallythe ‘peacock feathers’1 typology, or family, that in this instancecorresponds to the vase’s decorative ancestry; and the triangularjuxtaposed shapes which, according to the Researcher Tânia Casimiro,were absorbed via Spain, mainly from the Talavera ceramics2.Identical pieces appear in the context of early Portuguesefaience decorative motifs, recorded from archaeological contextsdating from 15803 onwards, emerging quite regularly from archaeologicalexcavation projects in Portugal (Lisbon), in the LowCountries and in Northern Ireland. Some can also be found inPortuguese and overseas museums.The format of this vase, of undoubted European origin, isclosely similar to the so called ‘altar vases’, or ‘oratory vases’, whichwere often portrayed in Portuguese paintings dating from the 15thand 16th centuries. These depictions act as true records, since theartist depicted what he saw in a style taken from ‘the natural’. Suchexamples can be observed in the ‘Annunciation’ scene from thepolyptych altar piece from São Brás do Campanário attributed tothe painter Diogo Contreiras (1500–1570) (fig. 1)4, and also in the‘Annunciation’ from the Évora Museum (Inv. ME 915) attributedto Pedro Nunes (1586–1637)5.The altar vase herein described assumes particular relevancefor its shape, decorative characteristics, and preservation conditionwhich, together, only very rarely occur in objects of identicalchronology.
1 ‘Peacock’s eye’ or ‘peacock’s feather’: repetitive semi-circular modules of stylized peacockfeathers. Vd. Fourest, H. P., 1988, p. 60.
2 Casimiro, Tânia, 2010, p. 655.
3 Pais, Alexandre N., 2012, p. 405 e Casimiro, Tânia, 2010, p. 600.
4 Pestana, M. Isabel, 2014, p. 66.
5 Silva, Alcina S., 2011, pp. 68–71.