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Othello Plaque

A work made of white slip decorated earthenware with "standard" glaze.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of white slip decorated earthenware with "standard" glaze.

Date:

1884

Artist:

Modeled by J.C. Meyenberg (American, late 19th–early 20th century)
Made by Rookwood Pottery (American, 1880–1960)
Retailed by Duhme & Co. (American, unknown)

About this artwork

Seen as exotic, Islamic-style decorative motifs enjoyed great popularity in the United States in the 1880s, and William Shakespeare’s play Othello offered a famous example of a Moorish subject. Created by Rookwood Pottery, one of the earliest art pottery makers in the United States, this rare plaque may have been commissioned to commemorate a local production of the play. The designer evoked the main character’s Moorish origins by inscribing his name in pseudo-Arabic script and using concentric bands of stylized foliate and calligraphic motifs reminiscent of Islamic architectural decoration.

Status

On View, Gallery 177

Department

Arts of the Americas

Artist

Rookwood Pottery (Maker)

Title

Othello Plaque

Place

Cincinnati (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1884

Medium

White slip decorated earthenware with "Standard" glaze

Dimensions

Diam.: 40.6 cm (15 1/4 in.)

Credit Line

Through prior acquisition of Mr. and Mrs. Hugh J. Smith Jr.

Reference Number

1996.367

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/145205/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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