Dish with two lovers. Culture: Italian, Deruta. Dimensions: Overall (confirmed): 3 5/8 × 16 5/8 in. (9.2 × 42.2 cm). Date: ca. 1520-50.The likely contexts for the display of large dishes are not easily identified. Clues might be found in a dish's subject matter, which was often either amorous--as with this embracing couple--or religious. Both subjects are essentially domestic, lending themselves to the private spaces of a wealthy home. The metallic sheen on this dish, the result of a difficult technique called lustering, would have made it all the more desirable to a Renaissance patron. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.