Round dish with fighting lizard and snake
Portugese Palissy ware differs considerably from French examples, thanks to the work of Manuel Cipriano Gomes Mafra. Originally working as a waiter, Mafra moved to the town of Caldas da Rainha to work at the famed factory of Maria dos Cacos, which he soon took over. At Caldas, Mafra pioneered a style of Palissy ware that featured a distinctive usage of moss as a decorative bed for fish, lizards, and insects, a style quickly adopted by other Portuguese manufacturers of Palissy ware.
Artwork Details
- Title: Round dish with fighting lizard and snake
- Maker: Manuel Mafra (Portuguese, Caldas de Rainha, Portugal, 1830–1905)
- Date: 1865–87
- Culture: Portugal, Caldas de Rainha
- Medium: Glazed earthenware
- Dimensions: confirmed, irregular diameter: 3 1/2 × 15 11/16 × 15 9/16 in. (8.9 × 39.8 × 39.5 cm)
- Classification: Ceramics-Pottery
- Credit Line: Gift of Wallis Katz, in memory of Marshall Katz, and in celebration of the Museum's 150th anniversary, 2020
- Object Number: 2020.86.20
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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