Ancient Italian Maiolica Tureen Milano, 1770 circa

Maiolica tureen “allo struzzo” (ostrich decoration)
Milan, Felice Clerici or Pasquale Rubati Factory
Milan, 1750 - 1780 circa
9.25 in x 12.79 in x 10.23 in (cm 23,5 X cm 32,5 X cm 26)
lb 4.78 (kg 2.17)
State of conservation: a felûre consolidated inside with slight edge chipping restored.

In Milan in the eighteenth century two majolica warehouses were opened: the first, by Felice Clerici, in 1745, the second in 1756 by Pasquale Rubati.
Traditionally this type of decoration has been attributed to the Pasquale Rubati factory. In reality the motif “allo struzzo”, one of the clearest examples of how the taste for chinoiserie met with considerable success during the eighteenth century, had been produced, in specimens of greater or lesser quality, by both Milanese manufactories.

This maiolica tureen has a swollen and ribbed oval bowl, rests on an extroflexed foot and shows stirrup handles.
The tri-color ornament, in the typical tones of Japanese "Imari" decorations, shows an idealized oriental landscape that develops around a perforated rock and has a willow tree with long lance-shaped leaves framing the long-legged bird figure. The ornamentation is enhanced by decorative elements such as butterflies, small florets and a vase with a thin flowery stem.
The lid is ribbed with a pear-shaped knob on top.
The decoration was called in the Milanese manufactories "allo struzzo" (ostrich decoration) and this refers to the oriental figure Xian He or the crane, symbol of longevity, here losing its symbolic value. It is hypothesized that among some sixteenth century engravings present in the Milanese factories there must also have been the famous engraving of the Maestro del Dado by Raffello Sanzio, in which three cherubs play with an ostrich, or perhaps we might recall the one depicting the ostrich hunt by Antonio Tempesta: such depictions may have influenced the definition of this decoration. (Ausenda, R. (a cura di), Musei e Gallerie di Milano. Museo d’Arti Applicate. Le ceramiche. Tomo secondo. Milano 2001, pp. 307-309 n. 309. Also for a similar assortment.)
Even the slightly blue colored enamel takes up the tones of oriental porcelain.
This type of ornament was such a great success that it was used on many forms and services and was offered to the eighteenth-century public by both Milanese manufacturers (Ausenda 2001, p. 307, n. 309).
A very close comparison, albeit enriched by touches of gold, can be found in the Gianetti collection in Saronno (Ausenda R., a cura di, Ceramiche della collezione Gianetti, Milano 1996).