Spice rack. Italy, ca. 1570-1620.

Spice rack. Italy, ca. 1570-1620.
Glazed ceramic.
It has a restoration in the lower area.
Measurements: 17 x 16 x 16 cm.

This unique piece of glazed ceramic, made in the characteristic style of late Renaissance Italian maiolica, represents a spice rack or decorative support of small format, conceived for both functional use and ornamental display. It is estimated that it was produced between the end of the 16th century and the first years of the 17th century, in one of the great ceramic centers of Italy, such as Deruta, Urbino or Faenza, recognized for their excellence in the work of glazed ceramics.

The piece presents a complex sculptural structure, supported by three hybrid figures of clear mythological or fantastic inspiration. These creatures, with feline bodies and spread wings, exhibit expressive features and meticulous anatomical details, such as scales, claws and erect heads that suggest a fusion between the animal, the human and the monstrous. These figures support with their legs and wings a circular platform on top, probably designed to contain or support small jars of spices, aromatic salts or perfumed oils, luxury items in the aristocratic domestic context of the Renaissance.

The decoration is executed with vivid colors - shades of cobalt blue, copper green, antimony yellow and iron orange - applied on an opaque white glaze that acts as a canvas. This type of tin glaze is characteristic of maiolica, a technique that allowed Italian potters to obtain a shiny and durable surface, suitable for the pictorial and narrative detailing that characterized this production.

Formally, the piece responds to the taste for the grotesque (grotteschi), an ornamental style widespread at the time after the rediscovery of the wall paintings of ancient Rome, particularly those found in Nero's Domus Aurea. This aesthetic, loaded with whimsical elements and hybrid figures, fit perfectly into the visual imaginary of the late Renaissance, where formal invention and erudition were manifested even in utilitarian objects.

Beyond its primary function as a spice rack or support, this object has a marked decorative and symbolic character. Its formal complexity and careful workmanship indicate that it was produced for a client of high social status, probably to be integrated into a cabinet of curiosities or a display cabinet within a noble or princely residence. Thus, the spice rack not only preserved precious ingredients, but also functioned as a display of prestige, erudition and refinement.