Italian Midcentury Majolica Hanging Mask of Bacchus by Professor Pattarino

A fantastic and rare ceramic charger by Eugenio Pattarino. Vibrant red color and Classic Italian Mid-Century style is represented very well in this piece. Eugenio Pattarino was born in 1885 and passed away in 1971. He was a master sculptor and model maker and taught in art schools in both Venice and Frankfort, Germany. In the late 1940s he opened his own studio in Florence. His factory used both “EPF” and “CAPEF” (Artistic Ceramics Professor Eugene Pattarino) to mark his pieces. His studio is best known for its large religious statutes, many of which reside in a number of churches in Italy and the U.S. In the 1950s Pattarino had more than fifty artists working for him and some among them were considered the best ceramists in Italy. At this time Eugenio was joined by his son, Ranier, and the company began concentrating on more eclectic themes. These pieces, when new, were quite expensive when they were purchased but almost never garner anywhere near their original cost at today's auctions. The factory claimed that the Vatican used Pattarino’s ceramics as gifts to famous visitors, including President John Kennedy, Andre Gide and Paul Sartre. Unfortunately there is no proof to back these claims. As a matter of fact I have discovered that the Pattarino name is almost generally unknown in Italy and even lesser known in Florence. His name is, however, recognized here in the United States and most of the factory’s output can be found in the U.S. where it was imported. In November 1966 the Arno River flooded its bank and inundated most of Florence. Work to restore damaged art...

Exceptionally rare early figure of Bacchus in black basalt. The mixed-case mark places this figure between 1780 and 1785. He is portrayed in typical style, his head garlanded with grapes and with a wine cup to his lips. Bacchus, also known as Dionysus in Greek mythology, is the enigmatic god of wine, fertility, and ritual madness. He symbolizes freedom, ecstasy, and the blurring of societal norms through his rituals and festivities. Bacchus is often depicted in myths as a deity who challenges the status quo, promoting an atmosphere where conventional rules do not apply, and his followers are liberated from their everyday constraints. Born from Zeus and the mortal Semele, Bacchus is unique among gods, bridging the divide between the divine and the human. His followers included the wild and ecstatic maenads, female devotees who often reached states of divine frenzy, and the satyrs, mischievous half-man, half-goat beings. The worship of Bacchus was marked by theatrical processions, dances, and plays, reflecting his patronage of the theater and the dramatic arts. Bacchus’s mythology...

A good quality Leeds Pottery creamware figure group depicting Bacchus holding a cup and a bunch of grapes and standing alongside a wine barrel believed to date from the latter 19th c...

Three dimensional Majolica dish centered with a large lobster and surrounded by oysters. Signed Caldas, Portugal on reverse side.

A fine midcentury vintage Italian ceramic figure of a resting puppy dog by Giovanni Ronzan. This figure is well modeled with molded and painted feature...

A stunning Minton majolica pottery figure depicting a girl harvester figurine dating from 1864. The figure sits raised on a round pedestal base and holds a large oval shaped basket u...

A stunning antique Minton Majolica pottery figure of a boy holding a basket, probably for salt, and dating from around 1879. The figure stands raised on a rounded rockwork base with a tree stump with the boy leaning on the stump and dressed in period costume with a jacket and knee length shorts and wearing a rounded hat with ribbon. He holds a basket in front of him and is hand painted in naturalistic Majolica colors in typical yellows, greens, blues, browns and natural skin tones. The base has stamped Minton marks to the rim along with date marks with the inner base decorated in typical Minton turquoise...

A stylish vintage Danish Knabstrup Keramiek pottery sculpture of a nude maiden with a swan seated on an oval pedestal base and decorated in white glazes with...

Large midcentury pottery bear, Attributed to Tony Evans, Well modeled strutting bear. Unmarked.

A stylish midcentury Danish stoneware pottery sculpture of an Asian figure carrying two large pottery vessels with further vessels standing on th...