Vaza Fortuny

Vaz Fortuny is a faience vase stored in the Hermitage , a sample of 14th century Hispanic-Moorish ceramics , one of the few surviving “ ”.

Vaz Fortuny . XIV century.

Vaso de Fortuny

faience , painting luster. 117 cm × cm

Hermitage , St. Petersburg

Vaza got its name by the name of the previous owner - the Spanish artist Mariano Fortuny . Fortuny discovered a vase near Granada in the town of Salar , where she served as a stand for a cup of holy water. In 1875, the widow of artist Cecilia de Madraso sold a vase for 30 thousand francs ^{[1] to} Russian collector A. P. Bazilevsky , whose extensive collection in 1885 was purchased for the Hermitage.

The most likely place for making a vase of Fortuny is Malaga ^[2] .

Like other Alhambra vases, the Fortuny vase is similar in shape to the ancient pithios , it has a tapering body, two massive flat handles and a narrow throat. The shape of the vase indicates that it was mounted on a stand or dug into the ground with its lower part. Therefore, the ornament in the lower part of the vase is somewhat erased, otherwise its safety is completely exceptional.

The pattern, made by a yellow-green luster on a light background, contains belts and medallions with floral motifs, decorative Kufic inscriptions ^[3] .