Green-Painted Jug with a Bird (Front)

This small, ovoid jug is the earliest work of Italian tin-glazed earthenware (maiolica) in the museum’s collection. The color palette is limited to green and brown on a white ground. On the front of the jug, a stylized bird struts among leaves and small berries. Birds and other animals frequently appeared on fourteenth- and fifteenth-century Italian ceramics, as well as textiles and other ornate household objects.

The areas flanking the handle are painted with stripes and hatch marks, while the neck bears a pattern of interlaced lines. These non-figurative motifs help scholars identify the jug’s location of manufacture. Similar decoration appears on ceramics excavated in the regions of southern Tuscany and northern Lazio, between Florence and Rome.

The interior of the jug is painted with clear lead glaze. A cheaper alternative to the tin-glazing on the exterior, it would still ensure that the jug was water-tight and therefore fully functional.