Hispano-Moresque Cup (Encisamera)

Manises, Spain, 16th century
Fritware decorated with copper lustre
8.5cm deep, 15.5cm diameter (including the handles)
Stock no.: A5863

Provenance: French private collection

+44 (0)20 7937 4422

This small cup dates from early 16th-century Manises. Known as an ensiamera or encisamera (salad server), this form is first mentioned in 15th-century inventories.¹ It is a bulbous vessel with a short foot-ring and four s-shaped handles (one replaced).
The vessel is decorated with motifs typical of those from the turn of the 16th century. The well is divided in four by a large cross. Each segment contains a cross-hatched tree and two square flowers. The walls are decorated with a block of lustre. A decorative band below the inside rim is divided by triangles containing fleur-de-lys.
The exterior is decorated between the handles with square cartouches filled with wheat ears and square flowers. A more classically 16th century chain border decorates the top of the foot ring. Below the rim is a garbled Latin inscription, based on the opening of St John's Gospel in the New Testament: in principio erat verbum (in the beginning was the word). This inscription, and exsurge domine (arise, O Lord), were added to Spanish ceramics in the late 15th century and continued to circa 1530. However, as the 16th century progressed, the inscriptions became less legible. A near-identical inscription and font is seen on dishes dated 1500-1525 in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London (accession no. 302-1893) and the British Museum, London (accession no. 1855,1201.88). A dish of the same encisamera form with a garbled erat verbuminscription is held in the Victoria & Albert Museum (accession no. 4-1907). It is dated to 1500-1525 from the Valencia region.

^{n.b. accession nos are clickable links}

[1] González Martí, Manuel. Cerámica del Levante Español. Barcelona: Labor, 1944. p. 251. In Ray, Anthony. Spanish Pottery 1248-1898, with a Catalogue of the Collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: V&A Publications, 2000. p. 100.

instagram

@AMIRMOHTASHEMI