Albarello
- Gallery: Room 46
- Culture: Florence
- Made in: Florence (province); Montelupo Fiorentino (probably)
- Date: 1480-1500 (circa)
- Object type: albarello
- Materials: earthenware
- Museum number: 1906,0418.1
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
This is an albarello, a type of ceramic container made in Florence around 1480 to 1500. It is crafted from earthenware and features a tin glaze both inside and out. The exterior is painted in blue, orange, and manganese purple with a pattern inspired by the floral designs of Hispano-Moresque style, including asterisks, squiggles, and dashes.
One side of the albarello is unique—a circular medallion containing a profile portrait of a bearded man with long hair, wearing an exotic hat. Experts believe the artist drew from the work of the Renaissance artist Antonio Pollaiuolo. The style and decoration suggest that this piece was part of a trend in Renaissance Italy to imitate and adapt Spanish ceramic designs, especially those from the Valencian region, which were highly prized.
These designs were popular among wealthy families like the Medici, who commissioned them for special occasions. The piece you see before you is a fine example of how art and culture traveled between regions, creating something new and beautiful in the process.
See it in person
Albarello is on display in Room 46 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
New, in beta. British Museum support has just launched and is still improving: over 1,000 objects so far, with more added all the time.
