Castelli - Lot 237

Castelli Shell-shaped ewer basin with blue background decorated in fixed white and gold with the coat of arms of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, gold with six fleurs-de-lis, azure within a frame of gold foliage. Late 16th century, circa 1580. L. 35 cm x 30 cm. A few enamel chips on the reverse. This basin and the following dish come from the service created for Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, known as "Il Grande Cardinale" (1520-1589), for his residence in Rome. The collection was inherited by King Ferdinand IV of Naples around 1730, who decided to transfer it to Naples for display in the museum, where it remains to this day. The 1644 inventory of the Farnese collection mentions this "servizio da credenza di maiolica turchina, niniata, d'oro con armi del Sr Cardinale Farnese". Other elements of this service are in the Musée de Sèvres, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Museum of Faenza, the Palazzo Venezia in Rome, the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels and the Hermitage Palace in St. Petersburg.