Domenico Veneziano - Storage jar (one of a pair)

Maiolica ceramics was first developed around 1370 in the Italian regions of Tuscany and Umbria with a refined , white glaze which occurred due to the presence of tin oxide, causing a fine white ash. One of the most appealing styles of pottery ever produced, the tin-glazed pottery was made in Italy during the Renaissance (1300-1700). The early designs dated between 1440 and 1540 were influenced by the pottery imported from Islamic North Africa. After the first firing, the bisque is dipped into a bath of fast drying liquid glaze. When dry, the glazed piece is ready to be hand painted. A final firing at a high temperature about 1690 F makes the glaze interact with the metal oxides in the paint to create brilliant translucent colors.

Early Renaissance or Quattrocento (Italian mille quattrocento, or 1400) refers to the 15th century in Florentine art. Extraordinary wealth was accumulated in Florence among a growing middle and upper class of merchants and bankers. Florence saw itself as a city-state where the freedom of the individual was guaranteed, and where a significant share of residents had the right to participate in the government. In 1400 Florence was engaged in a struggle with the Duke of Milan. Then, between 1408 and 1414 again, by the King of Naples. Both died before they could conquer Florence. In 1425 Florence won the war against Milan. The Florentine interpreted these victories as signs of God's favor and imagined themselves as the "New Rome". In this new optimistic and wealthy environment, Florentine artists immersed themselves in studies of the humanities, architecture, philosophy, theology, mathematics, science, and design. They spurred a rejuvenation of the glories of classical art in line with the humanistic and individualistic tendencies of the contemporary era. Quattrocento was followed by the High Renaissance, North European Renaissance, Mannerism, and Baroque periods. Unlike the previous proto-renaissances, the innovations that emerged in Florence would go on to cause reverberations in Italy and Northern Europe, which continue to influence culture until today.