Two dishes "a compendiario" - Castelli - 17th century

These two large white dishes with polychrome decorations in majolica were made at the beginning of the 17th century in Castelli. On the bottom of each dish there are decorations representing characters surrounded by garlands of foliage on the end and stylized flowers on the marli. The color palette is purified with a harmony between yellow, blue and ochre to highlight the whiteness of the white enamel and thus giving the room a great luminosity and brightness.

This decoration is characteristic of the "a compendiario" technique. Invented in Faenza in the mid-16th century, it was particularly appreciated in the following centuries for its extremely decorative character and the simplicity of its treatment, offering an image with sketched features.