Rare groupe en majolique de Faenza représentant La Nativité, attribué à l'atelier de Giovanni di Nicola Manzoni, probablement Colle Val d'Elsa, circa 1510

An rare Faenza maiolica group of the Nativity, attributed to the workshop of Giovanni di Nicola Manzoni, probably Colle Val d'Elsa, circa 1510

Depicting Joseph and Mary kneeling by the Infant Jesus, a stall with an ox and a donkey in the centre, and a seated figure playing bagpipes and two sheep to the right, all on a green-glazed slab base edged with blue double-line and ochre borders, 27.5cm across; 15.5cm high (some chips to glaze)
Footnotes:
Provenance
Private collection, Modena

A signed piece by this artist is in the collection of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts, one of a series of twenty-three 'calamai' or writing-sets produced in this style published by Timothy Wilson, Le maioliche rinascimentali nelle collezioni della Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Perugia (2007), cat. no. 87, of which one (no. 16, p. 65) closely resembles the present lot. It cannot be ruled out that this group also originally incorporated two small ink containers. Another is in the Fitzwilliam Museum, published by J. Poole, Italian Maiolica and Incised Slipware in the Fitzwilliam Museum (1996), no. 324.

There is a flat chip to the reverse of Joseph's halo. There is a 1cm flat chip to the right rear corner of the roof of the stall, and a chip to the left rear corner of the roof. The top of the roof is drilled in the centre (slight glaze losses around aperture). There is a small flat chip (1cm) to the branch moulded along the right rear corner of the stall.
The left horn of the ox is restored.
There are typical scattered small losses to the glaze overall - mostly to the moulded edges, especially along the front of the base (and to the head of the outermost sheep on the left. There is a 1.5cm flake of green enamel lacking from the surface of the base in the centre.
There is a flat chip (2cm) to the front left corner of the base (next to the recumbent sheep), and a 3cm chip to the edge of the front of the base.
Overall generally in good condition consistent with age.