Broth bowl and cover (scodella and tagliere) from an accouchement set; Aeneas leaving Troy with his father and son (inside bowl); Pyramis and Thisbe (on cover)

Baldassare Manara was one of the principal ceramics artists active in Faenza, working in a productive and well-documented shop. These two pieces of a maiolica set, produced on the occasion of childbirth, are highly unusual for their complex classical imagery and their elaborate inscriptions. New mothers in Renaissance Italy were often presented with maiolica birth sets. Although no complete set survives, these gifts consisted of five interlocking pieces: a footed broth bowl and its cover (which doubled as a plate), a drinking cup, a saltcellar, and a lid. When assembled, these objects formed a single unit and any imagery on the interior—in this case, a series of scenes from ancient mythology—was hidden from view.