Saxon & Medieval — Late Medieval-Tudor; late 15th-mid 16th century
'Altar' vase with sacred trigram
Tin-glazed earthenware 'altar' vase with blue decoration on a white background. There are concentric bands around the neck and the foot, with a medallion in the centre with the sacred letters 'YHS'. The Italian merchant community in London constituted a small but wealthy and influential group. They imported a range of luxury commodities from their homeland to satisfy London consumers, as well as souvenirs and treasured items for personal use. Maiolica vases from Tuscany decorated with religious motifs were especially popular. Several examples have been excavated in London. This vase incorporates a version of the sacred 'YHS' trigram (from the Greek spelling of Jesus: IHSOVS) advocated by St Bernardino in 1427. See Noel Hume 1977, pl 3; Britton 1987, 99 no. 3 and Hugo Blake, 1999, British Museum Occasional Paper, number 122, pp 23-55.
- Category:
- Saxon & Medieval
- Object ID:
- A378
- Object name:
- 'Altar' vase with sacred trigram
- Object type:
- Artist/Maker:
- —
- Related people:
- Related events:
- Related places:
- Production date:
- Late Medieval-Tudor; late 15th-mid 16th century
- Material:
ceramic, earthenware, delftware
- Measurements/duration:
- H 152 mm, DM 110 mm (overall)
- Part of:
- —
- On display:
- —
- Record quality:
- 60%
- Part of this object:
- —
- Owner Status & Credit:
Permanent collection
- Copyright holder:
digital image © London Museum
- Image credit:
- —
- Creative commons usage:
- —
- License this image:
To license this image for commercial use, please contact the London Museum Picture Library.