"Tale of Lost Time" Plate

What is a good life lesson? The medieval artist that originally painted this plate, back in 1550, seemed to have no doubt: time was the most valuable asset. Here a donkey sits on a chair with a towel around its neck, while a man scrubs its face. The painting refers to an old Italian proverb: "Chi lava il capo all'asino perde il sapone," or "He who washes the head of an ass wastes the soap." This is a humorous tale about the use of time, a warning not to waste time trying to change things (or people) that are not worth it! After all, lost time is never found again. We restored the original plate in minute detail. After almost 500 years, the pottery had chipped, rusted, and faded in many areas. We reconstructed the plate choosing, however, to keep small imperfections as the sign of antiquity and proof of a handmade artifact. We also chose to adopt slightly muted and not overly bright tones to reflect the firing process typical of pottery during the Middle Ages. The result is a true piece