Charger

The Castelli area was a major center for ceramic production during the 17th and 18th centuries. The pieces made there were almost entirely decorative works, and were part of a final revival of Italian majolica, a type of tin-glazed earthenware. Beginning in the Middle Ages, it was common for scenes from classical mythology to be used for the purposes of allegory and moralizing in both the decorative and plastic arts. This particular dish depicts a woman (probably Iris) making a plea at the temple of Juno. Her petition is heard, and Juno instructs Iris to descend to the earth. Flanked by their respective attributes of a peacock and the caduceus, Juno and Iris are clad in contemporary dress and placed beside Renaissance architecture, all subordinated to a magnificent pastoral setting.

**Adapted from**

* Anne R. Bromberg, and Karl Kilinski II, _Gods, Men, and Heroes: Ancient Art at the Dallas Museum of Art_. (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1996), 122.
* Charles Venable, DMA unpublished material, 1993.