The Annointing of David by Samuel 1520 - 1545

Curator: Okay, let's dive into this vibrant ceramic relief, "The Anointing of David by Samuel," crafted sometime between 1520 and 1545. It’s got that undeniable Italian Renaissance flair, but something about its composition really zings for me. Editor: It's on a plate! That was my first thought, like a beautifully painted, kinda funky, serving dish. And it looks almost too detailed to actually serve food on it. How do you read the space of the composition? Curator: Right? Who would put a salad on this? The spatial arrangement, though, is quite theatrical. Look how the figures are almost bursting from the round, with this raised, almost dreamlike rendering. It's compressed but manages to feel vast. Are we in a courtyard, a palace, or even a stage? Does the backdrop feel biblical to you? Editor: Not particularly, to be honest. It looks more like an opera set. What about that golden light and those figures on the sides? Are there classical elements? Curator: I'm so glad you picked up on that! Notice how the golden hues evoke classical ideals, even while the slightly cartoonish expressiveness of the figures lends it a unique, somewhat mischievous energy. But where are our typical renaissance colour scales, in all that earthy saturation and almost graphic light play? And the subject matter adds so much. The anointing, the selection. But what did this say to people at the time it was made? Editor: That tension is really interesting, this classical scene presented in such an expressive manner. I am also left to wonder why its shaped the way it is, rather than something of its more familiar format. Curator: Exactly, we can almost taste a Renaissance desire for ideal form struggling against a love for human storytelling. A divine script captured within an ordinary, everyday object – what could be better than that? It whispers of ancient stories and maybe some contemporary ones too! Editor: That's a great point, it's a lovely plate of human and art history!