Footed bowl depicting Cephalus killing Procris 1533

This footed bowl, depicting Cephalus killing Procris, was created by Fra Xanto Avelli da Rovigo, in the 16th century, out of earthenware. The bowl is an example of maiolica, a type of pottery where the earthenware is tin-glazed and then painted with colorful pigments. The artist has used the smooth, white surface of the glaze as a canvas for his narrative scene. Notice the smoothness of the glaze, this would have allowed the artist to achieve a high level of detail in the painting. The narrative scene is taken from classical mythology. The bowl would have been fired at a high temperature to set the glaze and colors. The making of this bowl required a high degree of skill and knowledge, from preparing the clay to mixing and applying the glazes and painting the design. Consider that the bowl may have been used for dining or display, and would have been a luxury object, showing the importance of craft in creating beautiful and functional objects.