Dish
- Gallery: Room 46
- Maker: Master of the Bergantini Bowl
- Made in: Faenza
- Date: 1525
- Object type: dish
- Materials: earthenware
- Museum number: 1855,1201.65
- 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
Before you is a beautifully painted dish with a dramatic scene of the Lapiths and Centaurs in battle. This istoriato dish is made of tin-glazed earthenware, its surface covered in a rich grey-blue glaze. At the center, a fierce struggle unfolds beneath the impaled arms of Francesco Guicciardini and his wife, Maria Salviati.
The composition draws from classical mythology, telling the story of a chaotic fight that erupted at a Lapith wedding. You'll notice overturned tables, scattered wares, and a heroic nude figure likely representing Theseus.
The decoration is attributed to the hand of the Master of the Bergantini Bowl, working in Faenza around 1525. This was a time of political tension in the region, and some scholars connect the imagery to Guicciardini's efforts to restore order in Romagna.
Beneath the scene, a peculiar upside-down jug bears the letters ".VIC. .I." — possibly a cryptic message or even "Vic I", meaning "I have conquered." Its meaning remains open to interpretation.
See it in person
Dish 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.
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