Islamic Plate

Giuseppe Grisoni · n.d.

Medium

Gouache over black chalk, on ivory laid paper

Original size

33.6 × 25.5 cm (13 1/4 × 10 1/16 in.)

Currently held

Art Institute of Chicago

Movement

Baroque

Giuseppe Grisoni's *Islamic Plate* is a quietly absorbing study of an ornate ceramic vessel, rendered with a delicacy that reveals as much about European curiosity toward the Islamic world as it does about the object itself. Grisoni was an Italian-Flemish painter who moved between Florence and London in the early eighteenth century, cultivating a reputation for refined draughtsmanship and an eye for decorative detail. Working in gouache over black chalk on ivory laid paper, he layered opaque pigment with a lightness that preserves the luminosity of the ground beneath — a technique well-suited to capturing the glazed surface and intricate patterning of ceramics. The ivory paper itself acts almost like a neutral pedestal, allowing the plate's geometry to breathe. Works like this reflect the period's broader appetite for collecting and documenting objects from the Islamic world, as European collectors prized such pieces for their craftsmanship and visual sophistication. Our hand-painted oil reproduction translates Grisoni's meticulous gouache study into the richer tonal depth of oil on canvas, preserving the careful attention to surface pattern and form while giving the image a presence and warmth suited to display in any home.