Ewer

c. 1540–67

Ewer, c. 1540–67. Saint-Porchaire (French). Lead-glazed, white-paste earthenware with inlaid slip decoration; overall: 35.6 x 13.7 cm (14 x 5 3/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1953.363 An example of one of the most extravagant wares of this kind, this ewer is decorated with applied masks and frogs as well as a variety of stamped and inlaid designs. The shape and patterns reflect the metalwork of the time—the final period of this artistic pottery. The green tree frog was one of the symbols of French King Henri II, indicating that this ewer may have either been made for the king or one of his courtiers.