Castel Durante, Italy
Around 1520–25
Tin-glazed earthenware
Diameter: 20.4 cm
Dishes with profiles of men and women wearing ancient Roman head coverings were probably made as gifts and might have hung in pairs.
Although not portraits of real people, they could bear the name of a beloved. The ‘Tarsia’ named here may refer to a heroine from classical literature or to a woman who lived locally. The letter ‘b’ stands for bella (‘beautiful’ in Italian).