A plate depicting a female profile with a veil hairstyle on a blue background

This plate comes from Faenza, and is part of the "Belle donne" genre, an original expression of Faenza Renaissance majolica, which then spread to other Romagna and Italian shops. In fact, the general layout of the profile portrait placed in the center of the plate is the same that, in the most bigger proportions, is found in the "Belle" of Faenza, which are painted on full surface. The female bust, facing right, is surrounded up to the edge by polychrome bands of orange, yellow and blue decorated in various ways. The lady is wearing a showy and low-cut dress; she has a generous bust and large shoulders, which are covered by wide sleeves, emphasized by showy trellis fabrics of bright colors and tied by ribbons. But the element that has the most important role is certainly the head with the elaborate hairstyle: the upper part of the head is shaved and it highlights the forehead, which had to be high and spacious and not covered by the hair. The hair was instead gathered on the back in a tail, the so called "coazzone", which in turn was inserted in a "trincale", that is a sheath used to hold and braid the hair. This female portrait presents an original solution to highlight the usual bonnet for gathering hair, here with an elongated shape and decorated with tiny brushstrokes to simulate the embroidery. All to create an amorous dish of extreme delicacy.