Vase Depicting a Phoenixlike Bird
1700–50
Medium
Tin-glazed earthenware
Dimensions
H.: 49 cm (19 1/4 in.)
Classification
earthenware
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
10435
Art Historical Context
Step into the luminous world of colonial Mexican ceramics with this striking *Vase Depicting alike Bird*, a masterpiece of Talavera Poblana pottery from Puebla, Mexico, dating to 1700–50. Standing at an impressive 49 cm, this tin-glazed earthenware vessel exemplifies the artistry of New Spain's workshops, where skilled potters fused European techniques with local flair. Talavera Poblana, after the city of Puebla, is renowned for its vibrant maiolica-style glazing—a tin-oxide coating fired over earthenware to create a brilliant white surface ideal for bold painted motifs. Here, the phoenixlike...