Plate with Figure of a Cock (Rooster) in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, March 2008

Plate with Figure of a Cock (Rooster)
Lead-glazed earthenware
Spanish or Portuguese, 18th century

Accession # 94.4.34

The simply made plate was produced in a mold and its bright green glaze was achieved in a single firing. This popular technique, originally practiced in Spain by Muslim craftsmen, was often used for much larger, quasi-architectural objects such as baptismal fonts. In this case, the form of the plate follows a metalwork style often seen in Portugal.

Text from the Metropolitan Museum of Art label.