Salver

The exhibited salver is one of ten Hispano-Moresque salvers from the legacy of the Catalan painter Mariano Jose Bernardo Fortuny y Carbó bought at an auction in Paris for the holdings of the future Museum of Arts and Crafts as early as 1875. The salver is decorated with painted plant decorations, and the lustre is combined with blue glaze. The simple shape of the salver with its convex central part shows it to be inspired by the forms of metal vessels. The decoration of ceramics with lustre glaze was brought to Europe in the 14th century by Moorish potters, and the most important centres of production were the Spanish cities of Malaga, Valencia and Aragon. The tradition of producing ware with decorated lustre glaze has been preserved in Spain until this day. From the 16th century, this decorative technique was taken over by Italian ceramics makers in workshops in Gubbio, Deruta and Caffagiollo.