Extraordinary Lisbon made early 17th century faience basin, decorated in cobalt-blue pigment on a tin-white enamelled ground, the lip geometric decorative design complemented by the well’s dense figurative and contrasting composition. Of remarkable technical and decorative quality the piece is defined by its unusual typology, the fineness of the clay chosen for its manufacture, the subtlety and translucence of the glaze and the intensity of the blue pigment.

The deep well is filled by an exuberant Chinese influenced landscape centred by an elegant bird amongst rocks, bushes and flowers, the whole scene encircled by a double filleted octagonal frame. The raised fluted lip of eight continuous double triangles, emerging from each octagon face, is decorated in blue parallel lines of varying thicknesses encasing a palmette, on the well side, and a spiralled triangular field near the rim.

On the reverse, corresponding to each triangular alveolus, a sequence of serpentine lines alternating with pairs or parallel stripes in a composition that alludes to Kraak porcelain models.

An exceptional early 17th century Portuguese faience basin of unequivocal Italian Majolica and Islamic heritage, absorbing new Chinese influenced motifs, the whole composition characterised by the free brushstrokes, the decorative fantasy and an obvious exercise in colour control.

It is relevant to highlight the piece’s shape, a deep basin of raised alveolar surfaces, similar to Chinese transitional period plates. Additionally the lip decoration of ellipses and concentric parallel triangles filling up the whole surface in an excessive, almost obsessive horror vacui, is typical of Chinese porcelain pieces, albeit being more prevalent in 16th century Iznik and Valencian Mudéjar ceramics. Geometric patterns are equally recorded in Chinese ornamental detailing, namely the spirals often present in Wucai transition period porcelain (1620-1683).