Antique Decorated Terracotta Flask from the 1800s, lenticular in shape with a white background and concentric circular decorations painted in shades of blue and ochre, outlined in black, with a base. The taller one has a glued area at the base of a handle. The decoration is placed on both sides of the flask with side loops and holes in the base for the passage of the cord. In good condition, apart from some scratches compatible with use and dating and a chip at the base. Originating from Central Italy.
These small terracotta water bottles had the particularity of containing water or other liquids necessary to quench the thirst during the travels of pilgrims. Relatively small in size, with a lenticular shape and the possibility of being anchored to the belt or carried over the shoulder by using a cord that was passed around the flask, threaded through four loops or perforated sockets placed on the sides.
So, the essential tool for the traveler is soon decorated and enriched with new shapes both in the plasticity of the flask and in its type, until finding particular forms such as the empty flasks in the center which, being equipped with a base, suggest a more decorative than functional purpose.
The decoration also passes from primitive graffiti with geometric or floral motifs, to enamel coloring or decoration that can be pictorial according to the usual models of the period or, in the more popular examples, of an abstract nature, as in the case of the flasks with abstract decoration, almost random in which we like to think that the decorator simply had colors to use or finish.
Height: 21.3 cm - Width: 18.5 cm - Depth: 5.3 cm
Art. A1061c
