I was familiar with reproductions of Manet's Déjeuner sur l'herbe (above) long before I saw it in the Musée d'Orsay but however blasé I was the impact of its size (more than two metres by three) and the juxtaposition of the naked woman with the clothed men was great.
In the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, which has one of the best collections of tin glazed pottery in Europe, I saw a fine maiolica dish (left) from the workshop of Guido Durantino (16th century) showing The Judgement of Paris. There, on the bottom right, was Déjeuner sur l'herbe though not so shocking as Manet because everyone is naked.
2 comments :
I love Italian Maiolica (even the ones which look like painting by numbers or a bit of dog's dinner - those make me think of a fussy client who wanted some of every colour!) and the Fitz collection is great because you can see the backs as well. But did you also spot William Morris's little renaissance bowl with the peacock eye pattern on white - it looks incredibly modern. So glad you enjoyed your visit. And thanks for sharing the Manet image.
I missed the William Morris bowl - I will look out for it the next time I'm there.
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