Pair of bulbous jars, Venice, circa 1560. Painted majolica in polychrome of blue, yellow, orange-yellow, verdigris green, and tin-white, manganese; height 38 cm, mouth diameter 31 cm, diameter. Excellent condition. A BOULBOUS JAR, VENICE, MASTRO DOMENICO AND COWORKERS, CIRCA 1570 Comparative Bibliography M. Vitali, Omaggio a Venezia. Le ceramiche della Fondazione Cini. I, Faenza 1998, p. 36 no. 14 and p. 39 no. 17; C. Ravanelli Guidotti, Omaggio a Venezia. Maioliche veneziane tra manierismo e barocco nelle raccolte del Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche in Faenza. II, exhibition catalog, Faenza 1998, pp. 71-72 no. 20 and related bibliography; M. Marini, Maioliche e ceramiche del Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Turin 2024, p. 95 no. 119 Angelica Alverà Bortolotto, Maioliche veneziane del Cinquecento da collezioni private. Paolo Canelli, Milan (1990), no. 20 J. Lessman, Italienische Majolica Aus Goethes besitz, Weimar, (2015) These pharmaceutical jars have a globular body with a tall cylindrical neck ending in a slightly everted rim, and rest on a flat disk base. The decoration, which covers the entire surface, features circular medallions framed by a motif of large curled volutes on one side, containing figures of saints on a white background surrounded by the characteristic radiating motif: one with Saint Vincent Ferrer (also known as Saint Vincent Ferreri), a famous preacher priest belonging to the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) invoked as a protector against diseases, earthquakes, and storms, the other with Saint Lawrence (or alternatively Saint Stephen), represented as a young deacon saint caught in a moment of deep ecstatic prayer, both protectors of deacons and various categories of artisans. The remaining surface of the jar is covered on a graffito blue background with a dense decoration of flower corollas, small fruits, and large multicolored acanthus leaves, and in an unusual light blue version. The works can be fully included in the catalog of artifacts from Mastro Domenico's workshop in the second half of the 16th century: the typical decoration of fruits and flowers and medallions with figures from the Venetian workshop gives us some realistic portraits, freezing time on images of saints, old men, children, ladies, and knights, as well as warriors in arms. And the decoration of the frames according to the large spiral type with a curled motif was very successful, especially in emphasizing the portraits, even in imitative epigones in southern manufactories.