Accession Number

1986.008.0848

Creation Date

circa 1620

Description

This delicate majolica bowl is from the wreck site of the 1622 galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha. It bears a blue painted design over a lighter blue glaze and was most likely made in Seville. It is 12cm in diameter and 5cm tall.

Exhibition Label

Case Caption (2023):

HOUSEHOLD CERAMICS

Pottery in all its forms was made throughout South America since pre-historic times. It was often painted or decorated with incised designs, but glazing was unknown. Archaeological evidence indicates that Indigenous potters adopted glazing from European artisans once they learned the process. They also freely adapted European designs for their own ceramics while producing dinnerware and other basic forms useful to the colonists.

Most of the ceramics found on the 1622 fleet were made in Spain. However, in the colonies, Panama became particularly known for its production of majolica (tin-glazed ceramics), and there was also a major pottery in Lima.
Object Caption (2023):

Bowl
Majolica (c.1620)
Gift of Jamestown Inc.
1986.008.0848