20D Large plate with a female bust. Deruta, ca. 15 15 - 40. Tin-glazed earthen
ware, Diam: 41.3 cm [i6^3 A in.). Washington, D.C., National Gallery of
Art, Widener Collection, in v. 1942.9.3 2 3 [C-48]DA.
20E Bernardino Pinturicchio. The Death of Saint Bernardino (detail). Rome,
church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli. Photo: Scala/Art Resource, New York.
stock repertory of cartoons. These cartoons could have
been copied freehand or, more likely, used as a template
for the decoration. The cartoon as template would have
been pricked with holes, placed against the raw glaze
surface of the plate, and tapped with a bag filled with
dark powder. Lifted away from the ceramic, the template
would leave behind a series of dots that were then filled
in with pigment.^6
Given the often formulaic nature of the busts and
rim embellishments, Deruta potteries probably turned
out these works at a fast pace. The Museum's plate is a
particularly fine and beautifully rendered example, how
ever. The young woman is shown in a self-assured pose,
with her chin up. The modeling of her face is especially
subtle, and an outline of blue pigment delicately sets off
her head and the banderole from the background.
Plates very similar to this one—with a quartieri
rim decoration, a vertical scroll, and a female figureLustered Plate with a Female Bust 115