Dish with profile of a woman with Petrarchan verse

The Umbrian town of Deruta was an important center of maiolica production and was particularly famous for its display plates—especially those bearing images of lovely women. Here, confident lines describe a graceful feminine profile. Dishes such as this example functioned as a circular picture, with the patterned rim enclosing and enhancing the central image, not unlike a framed panel painting.

Credit: Gift of Henry G. Marquand, 1894