Lot 120: Palissy charger marked M. Mafras Caldas Portugal, below a crown, with mossy ground, naturalistically modeled moth, snake, frog, bug, and large

Palissy charger marked M. Mafras Caldas Portugal, below a crown, with mossy ground, naturalistically modeled moth, snake, frog, bug, and large lizard. Manuel Cipriano Gomes Mafras was one of the foremost ceramicists of his era. He improved upon Bernard Palissy's technique by incorporating a "Mossy" ground by utilizing an ancient Egyptian technique. This charger is a fine example of Mafras' usage of the theme of struggling for survival, as seen through the hiding animals and the slithering snake. Some repairs and chip to underside of bottom rim, as well as some glaze skips to the underside. 12"Dia., Circa -1865-87.