ABSTRACT
This tin-glazed earthenware plate decorated in the alla Turchesca style bears the name of a monastic sister, S[uor] Serafina, and the date thought to mark her profession – 1638. Believed to originate from the Veneto region of Italy, it is one of a pair; both are identical in design, one slightly larger than the other. Since few examples of named plates of this kind survive, with those that do each bearing different names, it is possible that such objects belonged to a personal dining set given to a woman as part of her monastic trousseau (dowry) for use or display in convent quarters. Archival records highlight that nun’s families often provided the provisions they would need for domestic life, and in some cases convents detailed instructive inventories of goods that were required on entry, such as plates, bowls and cutlery, alongside devotionalia and clothing.
