The fabrique of Faenza has been a kind of refuge, among amateurs, for pieces destitute of sufficient outward sign to mark them as of other localities; and every gaunt and early piece, strong in blue and yellow colour, has been set down as Faentine. We agree with MM. Jacquemart and Darcel in the belief that many works of Caffaggiolo have been classed as of Faenza. We are, however, not convinced that the plaque in the hôtel Cluny, the piece bearing the most ancient date hitherto discovered (if we except that at Sèvres, inscribed xxxxiiiiiiii., and supposed to read 1448), inscribed in early characters around the sacred monogram, “NICOLAUS DE RAGNOLIS AD HONOREM DEI ET SANCTI MICHAELIS FECIT FIERI ANO 1475” is rightly attributed to Caffaggiolo instead of to Faenza. Another plaque in the Sèvres collection is dated 1477, with the name and arms of NICOLAVS · ORSINI. We next arrive at the exquisite service, of which seventeen pieces are preserved in the Correr museum at Venice, one in the writer’s (from Pourtalès), and one in the South Kensington collection; we give a woodcut of the mark, with the date 1482. [Illustration] The first published matter bearing upon the wares of Faenza is the passage by Garzoni in the _Piazza Universale_, a publication of 1485, in which he speaks of the pottery of this place as excellent for its whiteness, &c. _che fa le majoliche così bianche e polite_, a remark borne out by the quality of the service just referred to. In the church of St. Petronio at Bologna is a pavement of tiles covering the ground of the chapel of St. Sebastian, and without doubt laid down at the expense of Donato Vaselli, a canon of that Basilica, who about 1487 decorated that chapel at his own cost. The date upon one of these tiles is 1487, and upon others are inscriptions, in parts unfortunately imperfect from the injury or misplacement of some of the squares, but which as put together by signor Frati of that city, would read BOLOQNIESVS · BETINI · FECIT: while upon other tiles occur:-- +-----------------+ |. C . . ELIA · BE| | F . . . TICIE | +-----------------+ +---------------+ | . ZETILA · BE | | . FAVETCIE | +---------------+ +-------------+ | XABETA · BE | | FAVENTCIE | +-------------+ and again upon another a small label inscribed PETRVS · ANDRE · DEFAVE. Whatever doubt may attach to the Faentine origin of the plaque in the hôtel Cluny, dated 1475, there can be none in respect to the pavement of San Petronio: the fact of the name _Petrus Andre-de-Fave_ occurring, independent of the others, upon a _piccolo cartello_ seems to us an indisputable proof to that effect. It is painted with great skill, in a style of colouring and with ornaments which we are accustomed to attribute to Faenza; trophies, animals, heads, the arms of Bologna and her motto, the keys of St. Peter, and various devices are represented; among them the silver case of lancets on a green field, and the wounded vein, _imprese_ of the Manfredi family of Faenza.