Montelupo maiolica charger with a gentleman in landscape holding a halberd (Italy, 17th century).

Footed round dish depicting a gentleman in an urban landscape holding a halberd in a style of “Arlecchino di Montelupo”. Unsigned. Chips to the bottom.

Diameter: 32.5 cm; Height: 4.5 cm.

Produced in Italy, in Montelupo, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) southwest of Florence.

17th century, probably the first half. “After 1630, the year of the great plague, the number of potters reduced considerably and in the second half of the 1600s production suffered a drastic slump, potteries that specialized in a more prestigious production disappeared completely leaving only the potteries that produced kitchenware and terracotta objects” [www.tuscany-charming.it].