To honour Mary? Provenance, Distribution and Symbolic Use of Mediterranean Tin-Glazed Pottery in Late Medieval Inland Flanders

This paper discusses the presence and meaning of late medieval tin-glazed pottery of Italian and Spanish origin in inland Flanders (Belgium). In general, tin-glazed wares are very rare in late medieval archaeological contexts from this region. Both the distribution pattern of the archaeological evidence and the presence of this type of ceramics on fifteenth- and early sixteenth-century Flemish paintings, miniatures and tapestry lead to a discussion about their meaning and symbolic use, especially connected to the cult of the Holy Virgin.