A LARGE PHARMACY JAR (ALBARELLO), VENICE, MASTRO DOMENICO AND COWORKERS, THIRD QUARTER 16TH CENTURY LARGE ALBARELLO, VENICE, MASTRO DOMENICO AND COWORKERS, THIRD QUARTER 16TH CENTURY majolica painted in polychrome blue, yellow, orange yellow, copper green, tin white and manganese black in several colour tones; h. 30 cm, mouth diam. 16.2 cm, foot diam. 18 cm The large albarello has a body with a strongly rounded shoulder and foot, divided by a clear demarcation underlined by a raised fillet; the cylindrical neck is low, terminating in a slightly everted rim. The decoration, which covers the entire surface, shows a large quadrangular cartouche in the centre of the front, enclosed in a complex frame, which bears the Gothic inscription Mostarda. f ., surmounted by a male portrait painted slightly in three-quarter view with a purplish-brown cloak; just below the cartouche is a cupid. On the opposite face is a large oval cartouche frame framing a female portrait painted in profile on an enamelled background and surrounded by a wide yellow band illuminated by thin tin-white and orange-red threads: the lady is depicted with her hair gathered up by a wide blue band and dressed in an orange-red dress with a high lace collar. The remaining part of the vase shows the characteristic wide-mesh decoration with leafy whorls, small fruits, acanthus leaves and small multi-petal corollas on a cobalt blue background decorated with sgraffio. This albarello, which stands out for its quality and medium-large size as well as for its rounded shoulder morphology, shows a less effective rendering than other examples in this catalogue, with poorer glaze and more standardised handwriting. However, the care and attention given to the choice of decoration, such as the skilful realisation of the shading in the frames, lead us to think of an important patron, without, however, recognising the hand of the workshop master in this work.