16th Century Renaissance Ceramic Tile with Heraldic Coat of Arms with Sun and Moon from the Abbey of Mirasole Milan, Italy

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Item description:
A thick, heavy, extremely hard terracotta brick dating back to the 1500s, decorated with a heraldic coat of … Read more Item description:
A thick, heavy, extremely hard terracotta brick dating back to the 1500s, decorated with a heraldic coat of arms, hand-painted using the fresco technique. First, the brick was smoothed with plaster, Bologna chalk, and rabbit glue, then painted with tempera colors. The coat of arms depicted can be traced back to the Abbey of Mirasole near Milan. Usually, this type of coat of arms is attached to the walls of abbeys, fortresses, or ancient noble castles. It is extremely rare to find a coat of arms of this kind in such good condition, considering how old it is and that it is essentially made of plaster, a very delicate material.

Useful information for evaluating the item:
The Mirasole Abbey was a grange, or a group of houses surrounding the abbey near Milan. This abbey is one of the first in the city. Its coat of arms is a large sun with eight wavy rays and eight sharp rays interspersed between them. The sun represents the various phases of the working day, while the crescent moon is the symbol of sowing, tides, and births. The sword between the two, on the other hand, is the symbol of warfare, or defense against the constant threat of attackers. For this reason, we are probably talking about a tile with the heraldic coat of arms of a castle built near the abbey to defend it, commissioned by some noble family in Milan at the time. This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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