Charger Depicting a Chariot Race

c. 1575

Charger Depicting a Chariot Race, c. 1575. Circle of Fontana Family (Italian). Tin-glazed earthenware (maiolica); diameter: 8.6 x 45.7 cm (3 3/8 x 18 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of John L. Severance 1942.622 During the Renaissance, an understanding of classical antiquity was perceived to be a sign of social, intellectual, and economic distinction. Scenes from Greco-Roman mythology were prominently featured on maiolica, covering the surface in a style called istoriato (decorated with stories). The creatures along the rim of this plate are loosely based on the figures discovered on the walls of Roman ruins a century before.