#1508

The Little Owl, 1508 Albrecht Dürer (Germany, 1471-1528);

Bowl with the Arms of Pope Julius II and the Manzoli of Bologna surrounded by putti, cornucopiae, satyrs, dolphins, birds, etc.

workshop of Giovanni Maria Vasaro

1508

"This splendid bowl is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful pieces of majolica ever made. It is profusely decorated with the antique-inspired grotteschi that became popular in the early sixteenth century. The prominent oak tree beneath the papal keys and tiara, the festoons of acorns, and the shields inscribed "IV II" (for Julius II) associate this object with Pope Julius II della Rovere (r. 1503–12), whose heraldic device was the oak tree. At the lower edge the coat of arms of Melchiorre di Giorgio Manzoli, a Bolognese envoy and loyal supporter of the pope who was probably the bowl's recipient. The dense imagery, which includes emblems of both secular and spiritual authority, may commemorate the triumphal entry of the pope into Bologna in 1506 and the reestablishment of papal rule in the city.

Platinum from Arknights

"First, break their legs. Second, break their armor. And third, pierce their flesh. Now, it's checkmate!"

Letter from Michelangelo Buonarroti to his father, Ludovico (di Leonardo) Buonarroti Simoni, June 1508.

Translation of Robert W. Carden, 1913.