Plate with an allegorical scene of a woman and a putto

Painted by Francesco Xanto Avelli

National Gallery of Art

This is a painting on a ceramic plate of a mythological scene featuring a cherub and a reclining nude figure with a background of a landscape and buildings. The scene is richly colored with a vibrant palette, including deep blues, greens, and earth tones, depicting a landscape with a river or body of water, a tree, and classical-style architecture. The cherubic figure with colorful wings holds a bow, while the reclining figure is partially draped in orange fabric. This imagery is set on a round ceramic surface, likely a piece of Italian maiolica from the Renaissance period. This is in style of an anonymous Renaissance pottery artist, referencing both classical themes and decorative ceramics.