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Small Maiolica Flower Pots, Ferretti Manufacture, Lodi, circa 1770-1780

$958.51per set
£713.42per set
€800per set
CA$1,312.93per set
A$1,460.26per set
CHF 762.50per set
MX$17,769.81per set
NOK 9,738.32per set
SEK 9,132.83per set
DKK 6,090.12per set
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About the Item

Two maiolica flower pots Antonio Ferretti Manufacture Lodi, Circa 1770 - 1780 Maiolica polychrome decorated “a piccolo fuoco” (third fire) They measure: 3.46 x 3.14 x 2,67 in (8.8 x 8 x 6,8 cm) They weigh: 0.55 lb (253 g) State of conservation: intact. One little chip. The two small flower pots have a spherical front and a flat back with two small handles on the sides of the rim. The effect obtained is that of a small basket or bucket decorated on the front with groups of flowers painted with large brushstrokes in the bright colors typical of the third fire technique (“a piccolo fuoco”). The decoration is based on a typical bouquet of flowers gathered around a central rose. A precise comparison comes from two specimens presented in the exhibition held in Lodi in 1995 (M. L. Gelmini, Maioliche lodigiane del ‘700, Milano 1995, p. 174, nn. 205-206). The motif known as “alla rosa contornata” or “alla vecchia Lodi” constitutes one of the most loved decorations during the 18th century and is referred to in contemporary inventories as “fiori alla Strasburgo”. This decorative style represented a strong point of the Lodi factory, which established itself thanks to the vivid nature of the colors made possible by the introduction of a new technique perfected by Paul Hannong in Strasbourg and later introduced by Antonio Ferretti to Italy. The production process, called “piccolo fuoco” (third fire), allowed the use of a greater number of colors than in the past; in particular, the purple of Cassius, a red made from gold chloride, was introduced. Its use allowed for many more tones and shades, from pink to purple. The Ferretti family started their maiolica manufacturing business in Lodi in 1725. The forefather Simpliciano started the business by purchasing an ancient furnace in 1725 and, indeed, we have evidence of the full activity of the furnaces starting from April of the same year (Novasconi-Ferrari-Corvi, La ceramica lodigiana, 1964, p. 26 n. 4). Simpliciano started a production of excellence also thanks to the ownership of clay quarries in Stradella, not far from Pavia. The production was so successful that in 1726 a decree of the Turin Chamber came to prohibit the importation of foreign ceramics, especially from Lodi, to protect internal production (G. Lise, La ceramica a Lodi, Lodi 1981, p. 59). In its initial stages, the manufacture produced maolicas painted with the “a gran fuoco” (double fire) technique, often in turquoise monochrome, with ornamentation derived from compositional modules in vogue in Rouen in France. This was also thanks to the collaboration of painters like Giorgio Giacinto Rossetti, who placed his name on the best specimens next to the initials of the factory. In 1748 Simpliciano made his will (Gelmini, Maioliche lodigiane del '700, 1995, p. 30) appointing his son Giuseppe Antonio (known as Antonio) as universal heir. After 1750, when Simpliciano passed away, Antonio was directly involved in the maiolica factory, increasing its fortunes and achieving a reputation on a European level. Particularly important was the aforementioned introduction in 1760 of the innovative “a piccolo fuoco” (third fire) processing, which, expanding the ornamental repertoire with Saxon-inspired floral themes, was able to commercially compete with the German porcelains that had one of its most renowned offerings in the naturalistic Deutsche Blumen. Antonio Ferretti understood and promoted this technique and this decoration, proposing it in a fresher and more corrective version, less linked to botanical tables, both with or without contour lines, as well as in purple or green monochrome. After efforts to introduce more industrial production techniques to the sector succeeded, even the Ferretti manufacture, in the last decade of the eighteenth century, started heading towards decline despite its attempts to adapt production to neoclassical tastes. In 1796 the Napoleonic battle for the conquest of the Lodi bridge over the Adda definitively compromised the furnaces. Production resumed, albeit in a rather stunted manner, until Antonio's death on 29 December 1810. (M. L. Gelmini, Maioliche lodigiane del '700, pp. 28-30, 38, 43 sgg., 130-136 (for Simpliciano); pp. 31 sgg., 45-47, 142-192 (for Antonio). Bibliography for maiolica from Lodi: C. Baroni, Storia delle ceramiche nel Lodigiano, in Archivio storico per la città e i comuni del circondario e della diocesi di Lodi, XXXIV (1915), pp. 118, 124, 142; XXXV (1916), pp. 5-8; C. Baroni, La maiolica antica di Lodi, in Archivio storico lombardo, LVIII (1931), pp. 453-455; L. Ciboldi, La maiolica lodigiana, in Archivio storico lodigiano, LXXX (1953), pp. 25 sgg.; S. Levy, Maioliche settecentesche lombarde e venete, Milano 1962; A. Novasconi - S. Ferrari - S. Corvi, La ceramica lodigiana, Lodi 1964, ad Indicem; G. Gregorietti, Maioliche di Lodi, Milano e Pavia (catal.), Milano 1964, p. 17; O. Ferrari - G. Scavizzi, Maioliche italiane del Seicento e del Settecento, Milano 1965, pp. 26 sgg.; G. C. Sciolla, Lodi. Museo civico, Bologna 1977, pp. 69-85 passim; G. Lise, La ceramica a Lodi, Lodi 1981; M. Vitali, in Storia dell'arte ceramica, Bologna 1986, p. 251; M. A. Zilocchi, in Settecento lombardo, Milano 1991, pp. 492-496; M. L. Gelmini, in Maioliche lodigiane del '700 (cat. mostra Lodi), Milano 1995, p. 174 nn. 205-206. R. Ausenda, a cura di, Musei e Gallerie di Milano. Museo d’Arti Applicate. Le ceramiche. Tomo secondo, Milano 2000, p. 213.
  • Creator:
    Antonio Ferretti (Manufacturer)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 3.47 in (8.8 cm)Width: 3.15 in (8 cm)Depth: 2.68 in (6.8 cm)
  • Sold As:
    Set of 2
  • Style:
    Rococo (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Maiolica,Glazed
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
    1770-1779
  • Date of Manufacture:
    circa 1770
  • Condition:
    They are intact. One little chip.
  • Seller Location:
    Milano, IT
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU4352228616932

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