Pasquale Rubati

PASQUALE RUBATI (Italy, 1750 - 1785).
Dish ca. 1760 - 1780.
Enameled and decorated earthenware "alla barbotina".
In good state of preservation.
Measurements: 20 cm (diameter).

Fine white enameled earthenware dish decorated "alla barbotina" with polychrome floral motifs in relief, characteristic of the Lombard production of the eighteenth century. The rim has a wavy profile with a slight molding. The center is decorated with a garland of flowers in pastel shades -pink, blue and green- modeled and applied by hand with great technical virtuosity. Undecorated reverse, with signs of use typical of the period.

Attributed to the workshop of Pasquale Rubati, active in Milan in the second half of the 18th century, considered one of the most refined ceramists of the Italian "barbotine" style. This type of decoration consisted of applying colored engobes in relief on the already glazed surface, creating a pictorial and three-dimensional effect that was highly appreciated by the Milanese aristocracy of his time. Rubati introduced technical innovations that had a decisive influence on northern Italian ceramics, raising decorative earthenware to levels comparable to porcelain. This type of decorative pieces, due to their fragility and ornamental richness, were usually destined for tableware for representation or decoration of sideboards in noble houses.