Maiolica Furniture

Alhambra vase by La Ceramo, Valencia desde 1889. Early 20th century Hispano-Moresque lusterware vase The model of this vase is an 20th century produc...

17th century Hispano-Moresque lusterware charger decorated with a central 'Pardalotto' bird within stylized floral motifs. The tin-glazed lusterware produced at Manises shows the pa...

SHIPPING POLICY: No additional costs will be added to this order. Shipping costs will be totally covered by the seller (customs duties included). The centre painted with archaic de...

Manifattura San Carlo della Real Fabbrica di Caserta - Serving dish in Moustiers style with scalloped edge decorated in ocher and green monochrome with a medallion in the center of t...

Acquareccia plate Patanazzi workshop Urbino, last quarter of the 16th century It measures diameter 17.12 in; foot diameter 11.53 in; height 1.88 in (43.5 cm; 29.3 cm; 4.8 cm). Weight State of conservation: wear and a few small minimal detachments of enamel, chipping on the raised areas, peeling of enamel at the brim on the back. This large, shallow basin is equipped with a wide and convex well. It is umbonate with a contoured center. The brim, short and flat, is enclosed in a double rounded and barely raised edge. The basin has a flat base without rims; it has a slightly concave center in correspondence to the well. The shape takes inspiration from the basins associated with the metal forged amphora pourers that traditionally adorned the credenza. These were used from the Middle Ages to wash hands during banquets. Two or three people washed their hands in the same basin and it was considered an honor to wash one’s hands with an illustrious person. The decoration is arranged in concentric bands with, in the center of the umbo, an unidentified shield on a blue background: an oval banded in gold with a blue head, a gold star and a field with a burning pitcher. Rings of faux pods separate the center from a series of grotesque motifs of small birds and masks. These go around the basin and are, in fact, faithfully repeated on the brim. The main decoration develops inside the flounce of the basin, which sees alternating symmetrical figures of winged harpies and chimeras. The ornamentation, outlined in orange, green and blue, stands out against the white enamel background. This decorative style, defined since the Renaissance as “grottesche” or “raffaellesche”, refers to the decorations introduced after the discovery of the paintings of the Domus Aurea towards the end of the fifteenth century. The discovery of Nero's palace, buried inside Colle Oppio by damnatio memoriae, occurred by chance when a young Roman, in 1480, fell into a large crack which had opened in the ground on the hill, thus finding himself in a cave with walls covered with painted figures. The great artists present in the papal city, including Pinturicchio, Ghirlandaio, Raffaello, immediately visited these caves. The decorations found there soon became a decorative subject of immense success: the term grotesque , with the meaning of “unusual,” “caricatured,” or “monstrous,” was later commented by Vasari in 1550 as “una spezie di pittura licenziose e ridicole molto”( “a very licentious and ridiculous kind of painting”). The decorations “a grottesche” also widely circulated in ceramic factories, through the use of engravings, variously interpreted according to the creativity of the artists or the requests of the client. Our basin is reflected in similar artifacts produced at the end of the sixteenth century by the factories of the Urbino district. See the series of basins preserved in the main French museums, among which the closest in morphology is that of the Campana collection of the Louvre (Inv. OA1496); this however has a more complex figure decoration, while the decoration of our specimen is sober and with a watercolor style. The style, sure in its execution, approaches decorative results still close to the works produced around the middle of the sixteenth century by the Fontana workshop. The decoration is closely linked to their taste, which later finds its natural outlet, through the work of Antonio, also in the Patanazzi workshop. Studies show the contiguity between the two workshops due to the kinship and collaboration between the masters Orazio Fontana and Antonio Patanazzi, both trained in the workshop of Guido Fontana il Durantino. It is therefore almost natural that their works, often created according to similar typologies and under the aegis of the same commissions, are not always easily distinguishable, so much so that the presence of historiated or “grottesche” works by Orazio is documented and preserved in Antonio Patanazzi's workshop. Given that the studies have always emphasized the collaboration between several hands in the context of the shops, it is known that the most ancient “grottesche” works thus far known, can be dated from 1560, when the Fontana shop created the so-called Servizio Spagnolo (Spanish Service) and how, from that moment on, this ornamentation became one of the most requested by high-ranking clients. We remember the works created for the Granduchi di Toscana, when Flaminio Fontana along with his uncle Orazio supplied ceramics to Florence, and, later, other commissions of considerable importance: those for the service of the Duchi d’Este or for the Messina Farmacia of Roccavaldina, associated with the Patanazzi workshop when, now after 1580, Antonio Patanazzi began to sign his own work. Thus, in our basin, the presence of masks hanging from garlands, a theme of more ancient memory, is associated in the work with more advanced stylistic motifs, such as the hatching of the chimeras and harpies. These are found here on the front with the wings painted in two ornate ways. In addition, the theme of the birds on the edge completes the decoration along the thin brim and can be seen as representing an early style typical of the Urbino district during a period of activity and collaboration between the two workshops. Later, a more “doll-like” decorative choice, typical of the end of the century and the beginning of the seventeenth century, characterized the period of the Patanazzi workshop under the direction of Francesco. Bibliography: Philippe Morel, Il funzionamento simbolico e la critica delle grottesche nella seconda metà del Cinquecento, in: Marcello Fagiolo, (a cura di), Roma e...

This is a truly magical Italian maiolica wall mounted lantern depicts flowers and vivid red corals. One single bulb provides ample illumination - this can be used as shown, wall mou...

Rare late 15th or early 16th century Mudejar tile of the so-called ‘Arista’ technique with intricate geometric decoration. Good condition; some chipping to the edges, some wear to ...

18th Century Italian Majolica Albarello Pharmacy Jar. Jar is in a cylindrical shape with flared rim and foot. Jar features blue and white pattern with the word "Charitas" in an oval ...

Majolica apothecary jug. Savona manufacture, second half 17th century. In monochrome majolica, ovoid body with a high cylindrical neck that opens into a large mouth with an everted...

18th Century Italian Majolica Albarello Pharmacy Jar. Jar is in a cylindrical shape with flared rim and foot. Jar features blue and white pattern with the word "Charitas" in an oval ...

Rare and large Palissy Majolica vase, France, circa 1880. Made on a circular base, the baluster vase with a marbled brown bottom rests. The neck and foot feature motifs inspired by ...

Bottle cooler Manufacture Joseph Hannong Strasbourg, France, circa 1771 Maiolica polychrome decorated “a piccolo fuoco” (third fire) It measures 7.40 in in height x 9.64 in diam...

huge French Majolica Fish Platter Sarreguemines 1950s in very good condition German : Saargemünd / French Sarreguemines) is situated in the north-east of France, on the border wi...

Spanish Faience charger with floral motifs. Talavera de la Reina-Puente del Arzobispo, Toledo. Spain, late 17th century. Hand painted in ochre, yellow, brown and blue with a central...

A large pair of antique Renaissance Revival Italian maiolica (majolica) pottery wall pockets or planters, circa 1890, possibly Deruta. An unusual pair of large antique Italian maioli...

Design Period 1955 to 1965 Production Period around 1960 Country of Manufacture Italy Gubbio Umbria (Provincia di Perugia) MARKED: by artist C.A.F.F. Gubbio :-:very good condi...

A superb antique relief moulded Continental Maiolica dish or plaque relief moulded with a side profile portrait of a figure wearing a military helmet and with the words DUX D'URBINUS...

An exceptional Renaissance Revival Maiolica tin-glazed plate painted with a side profile portrait of a lady within a decorative border with a line painted design to the base. The lig...

A pair of Minton Majolica Reticulated Baskets, designed by Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (1824-1887). Excellent condition on both pieces, no issues! Made in lead-glazed earthenware (Mintons "Majolica"). With full marks "MINTON 1210". Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse worked at Minton as chief designer between 1850 and 1855. During his time at Minton, he created models for porcelain items, including vases and sculpture...

A circa 1690 Italian maiolica shallow tazza of Savona manufacture having elaborately molded and pierced rim with reserves decorated allover in hand-painted underglaze blue florals an...

A stunning and rare antique Italian Maiolica pottery triple gourd vase hand-painted with classical stylised figurative and scroll designs in typical ...

Early Arista y Cuenca tile, most likely made in Sevilla. Azulejo tile decorated with a gemetric pattern with 4 central leafs within a cirlce. Mid 16th century In very good conditi...

Maiolica sugar bowl Antonio Ferretti Manufacture Lodi, Circa 1770-1780 Maiolica polychrome decorated “a piccolo fuoco” (third fire). It measures 3.54 x 4.52 x 3.54 in (9 x 11,5 x 9 cm) Weight: 0.394 lb (0.179 kg) State of conservation: small and slight chips on the edges. The small sugar bowl has a swollen and ribbed body resting on a flat base. The cap-shaped lid follows the rib of the container and is topped with a small knob in the shape of a two-colored fruit. The sugar bowl is painted “a piccolo fuoco” (third fire) with the characteristic floral motif of bunches and isolated semis. An example which closely corresponds to this one is kept at the Civic Museum in Lodi (G. Gregorietti, Maioliche di Lodi, Milano e Pavia, Catalogo della Mostra, Milano, 1964 n. 137). 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, 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, 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, pp. 28-30, 38, 43 sgg., 130-136 (for Simpliciano); pp. 31 sgg., 45-47, 142-192 (for Antonio). Bibliography G. Gregorietti, Maioliche di Lodi Milano e Pavia Catalogo della Mostra, Milano, 1964 n. 137; 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, pp. 17 sgg.; A. Novasconi - S. Ferrari - S. Corvi, La ceramica lodigiana, Lodi 1964, ad Indicem; 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...

Early Arista y Cuenca tile made in Toledo. Azulejo Toledano. Alhambra tile decorated in renaissance mudejar style geometrical design. Probably made between 1550 and 1575. In very g...

An alzatina or crespina, dish on stand. Depicting 'Prudentia'; holding a snake and a mirror in her hands. Italy, 18th century. Dimensions: diam. 23 cm. Good condition: chipping ...

Italian Large Majolica Terracotta Sculpture with Lustre by Adolfo Merlone, 1950s Majolica terracotta sculpture decorated with lustre glazes in shades of red, blue and yellow depicti...

Early 20th century Italian majolica urn. This gorgeous Italian majolica or maiolica urn or jardiniere is hand decorated with serpents, dolphins an...

AN ENGLISH MAJOLICA PEDESTAL IN EGYPTIAN TASTE by JAMES WARDLE & CO. Circa 1880 Modeled with winged lions at each corner enclosing a stylized Egyptian ornament. Moulded laurel wreat...

Maiolica tureen Antonio Ferretti Manufacture Lodi, circa 1770-1780 Maiolica polychrome decorated “a piccolo fuoco” (third fire). It measures 9.05 x 12.59 x 9.05 in (23 x 32 x 23 cm) ...

Early Arista y Cuenca tile made in Toledo. Azulejo Toledano. Alhambra tile decorated in renaissance mudejar style geometrical design. Probably made between 1550 and 1575. In very g...

Bamboo Plant Stand Product details From the residence of Antonello Falqui – Falqui Collection. Quadrangular top inlaid with majolica. Dimensions 25 W x 76 H x 25 D cm

Italian antique vase with lid in blue and white majolica, 1715 Vase with lid with round base in blue and white majolica. On one side of the vas...

Important 19th Century Italian Parade Plate Polychrome ceramic, with a wide brim, short frill, and a wide base. Reverse with ring support. Decoration on the rim with harpies and fan...

Albarello wand cover with polychrome decoration called “al tacchiolo” of foliage with stylized flowers. Marked under the base: “N° 49" 18th century. Height: 15 cm incl lid, diameter ...

Vaso piedistallo della Jardiniere U&C Sarreguemines, in ottime condizioni. Fine del XIX secolo.

Large tin-glazed earthenware lebrillo/ basin, form Triana, Seville, Spain 19th century Central design of a dog within in colorful background in yellow, turquoise, manganese and blue.

Italian Cantagalli Maiolica Large Plate with family noble emblem, Late 19th Century During the 19th century Renaissance-Revival period the Cantagalli Maiolica and ceramic factory near Florence produced authentic copies of Renaissance Maiolica using traditional methods of tin glazing earthenware. This large Maiolica plate from the late 1800s is marked on the back with the symbol of the Rooster, which indicates that it was created by the Cantagalli ceramics factory. The plate is decorated in the center with the noble emblem of the house of Frederick Stibbert, a well-known late 19th century English/Italian collector of ancient weapons...

AMAZING PLATE MONTELUPO 17th Century Round earthenware bowl with contours on a pedestal, polychrome decoration of a soldier in a frame of floral reserves. Minor restorations. Diame...

Very large albarello with polychrome decoration called “al tacchiolo” of foliage with stylized flowers. Marked under the base: “N°20 Pesaro, 18th century. Fabbrica Casali Callegari ...

Early 19th century Neoclassical carved and gilded wall brackets realized with a white ivory color majolica demi vase of the Italian manufacture Gi...

Maiolica puerperal cup Antonio Ferretti Manufacture Lodi, Circa 1770 - 1780 Maiolica polychrome decorated “a piccolo fuoco” (third fire). It measures: 4.3 x 6.8 x 5.3 in (11 x 17,5 x 13,5 cm) Weight: 0.78 lb (358 g) State of conservation: some closed pass-through fêlures on the cup, barely visible on the outside. Some use chips on the edge of the lid, two of which are more marked. From about the mid-sixteenth century, the puerperal soup tureen or puerperal cup became one of the most popular wedding gifts in central Italy. As an auspicious symbol, it replaced the birth table (“desco da parto”) which, on the occasion of high-ranking marriages, from the thirteenth century, had been painted by famous artists, especially in Tuscany. In France this same tureen is called "écuelle de mariée", as it is given to spouses as a sign of fertility. During the eighteenth century this custom spread even outside Italy to all social levels. Depending on availability and rank, it was made of different materials: precious metals, maiolica, porcelain, glass, pewter, etc. Beginning in the mid-twentieth century, the custom of this symbolic homage gradually disappeared, although famous designers such as Gio Ponti and Giuseppe Gariboldi, even as recently as the 1940s, revisited a model of a small puerperal soup bowl for the Ginori and, also in Italy in 1940, in a national competition for young potters, one of the themes of the test was indeed a modern model of a puerperal cup as an auspicious gift. This particular cup was also called a "service cup" or "puerperal vase" or "stuffed cup" - the windows were sealed with straw to prevent drafts of air for women in labor. In the eighteenth century the line of the puerpera cup was simplified, so much so that it took the form of a small tureen with two handles - the typical broth cup...

Pair of majolica vases, produced by the Aetruriae Ars kiln in Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, in the 1960s. They present rather distinctive decorations with bi-anodized handles.

A Savona alzatina or crespina, dish on stand, with blue decor. On the front a heraldic coat of arms with a lion adorned with crown and putto. In the background elaborate architecture...

Maiolica tureen “allo struzzo” (ostrich decoration) Milan, Felice Clerici or Pasquale Rubati factory, circa 1750-1780 Measures: 9.25 in x 12.79 in x 10.23 in (cm 23.5 x cm 32.5 x cm 26) lb 4.78 (kg 2.17) State of conservation, a felûre consolidated inside with slight edge chipping restored. In Milan in the 18th century two Majolica warehouses were opened, the first, by Felice Clerici, in 1745, the second in 1756 by Pasquale Rubati. Traditionally this type of decoration has been attributed to the Pasquale Rubati factory. In reality the motif “allo struzzo”, one of the clearest examples of how the taste for chinoiserie met with considerable success during the 18th century, had been produced, in specimens of greater or lesser quality, by both Milanese manufactories. This Maiolica tureen has a swollen and ribbed oval bowl, rests on an extroflexed foot and shows stirrup handles. The tri-color ornament, in the typical tones of Japanese "Imari" decorations, shows an idealized oriental landscape that develops around a perforated rock and has a willow tree with long lance-shaped leaves framing the long-legged bird figure. The ornamentation is enhanced by decorative elements such as butterflies, small florets and a vase with a thin flowery stem. The lid is ribbed with a pear-shaped knob on top. The decoration was called in the Milanese manufactories "allo struzzo" (ostrich decoration) and this refers to the oriental figure Xian He or the crane, symbol of longevity, here losing its symbolic value. It is hypothesized that among some 16th century engravings...

Maiolica tureen Antonio Ferretti Manufacture Lodi, Circa 1770 - 1780 Maiolica polychrome decorated “a piccolo fuoco” (third fire). It measures 9.06 in in height x 13.39 in x 9.84 i...

17th Century pair of Abruzzo Maiolica Albarelli Waisted cylindrical form decorated with classical figures. White tin glaze with blue decoration. Dimensions: 29 x 12 cm.

Beautiful Massimo Popper Plate, 1911/1914, 20th Century Pompous polychrome ceramic "Marguerite" with a wide brim, short frill, and wide base. The rim is decorated with metopes and t...

Beautiful and fine pair of white Maiolica mirrors with elegant multi-color flowers drawings, in Baroque Style, handmade in Bassano by the well known Manufacturer Antonibon, coming fr...

Vivid colors, hand-painted in the Renaissance style, enhance this large maiolica pot from the 1800’s. Maiolica is tin-glazed pottery from Italy that has been decorated over a white background. This pot is considered an istoriato, which is to say that the pot has been decorated with figures, rather than strictly geometric patterns or floral designs. The maiolica does incorporate floral and foliate motifs, with white flowers that have yellow centers surrounded by blue rings. There are also yellow flowers that are depicted in various stages of nyctinasty (the closing of flowers during the night). The flora is all connected by a series of green and yellow curled leaves. Behind the vegetation is a dark blue background. There are two portraits inside large yellow cartouches that are painted in the middle of the pot. The first is a bearded man, dressed in a light brown tunic...

Pair of maiolica tureens Antonio Ferretti Manufacture Lodi, circa 1770-1780 Maiolica polychrome decorated “a piccolo fuoco” (third fire). a – 8.66 x 11.02 x 7.48 in (22 x 28 x 19...

Cantagalli Armorial Vase, Ulisse Cantagalli (1839-1901) During the 19th century Renaissance-Revival period the Cantagalli Maiolica and Ceramic Fac...

Grande anfora in maiolica policroma con corpo ovoidale e anse con sfingi alate. Decorata a tutto tondo con motivo mitologico raffigurante l'ascesa degli dei al monte Olimpo. La magis...

Inkwell Calamelli workshop (attr.). Faenza, second half of the 16th century Height 4.33 in; length 8.07 in; depth 2.95 in (11 cm; 20.5 cm; 7.5 cm) Weight: 0.800 lb (363 g) State of conservation: some chipping to the top of the mask around the mouth. Handle glued, without any restorations; minor chips in some raised areas. This object has the shape of a foot wearing Greek-style footwear, as can be seen in some raised areas. The foot is anatomically modeled with bare toes, while the ankle is partially covered by the footwear. On the heel, there is a small circular handle to support the object. The mouth of the container is shaped like a mask. The interior, completely enameled, suggests that the piece was intended to be used as an inkwell or to contain some other liquid. The base, however, is not enamelled. The painted decoration, scant and brief, consists of rapid cobalt blue shading between the toes of the foot, with more precise emphasis on the nails. It is accompanied by yellow citrine accents to enhance the forms. The mask is painted with the tip of the brush, to accentuate the tense nature of the eyes and to accentuate their outline. Thin strokes of yellow-orange line the interior of the mouth. Since the Renaissance, this decoration has been referred to as "compendiaria" and it characterizes the period of production extending from the mid-16th century to approximately the middle of the following century. It significantly influenced tastes at the time. It evolved from the polychrome style "istoriato" and transformed into a new style that "summarized" (compendia), or condensed, the ornamentation of the works into a few colors, placing greater prominence on the shapes. It was often inspired by metal specimens. Since the Renaissance, this decoration has been referred to as "compendiaria" and it characterizes the period of production extending from the mid-16th century to approximately the middle of the following century. It significantly influenced tastes at the time. It evolved from the polychrome style "istoriato" and transformed into a new style that "summarized" (compendia), or condensed, the ornamentation of the works into a few colors, placing greater prominence on the shapes. It was often inspired by metal specimens. This artwork finds parallels in similar objects all characterized by this refined style and produced in the city of Faenza and other Italian centers starting from the mid-16th century. The closest comparable example in majolica is a foot acquired by the British Museum in 2011 (inv. 2011, 8008.1). This was previously published by Carmen Ravanelli Guidotti in 1996 and later by Dora Thornton in 2016 during the conference on Renaissance ceramics...

midcentury SCHRAMBERG MAIOLICA Barbotine FISH TUREEN TERRINE handpainted Design Period 1955 to 1965 Production Period around 1960 Country of Manufacture Germany H / height: 11cm both ~ Gew. / weight: 2950grs DM / diameter casserole : 30 cm x 15cm x 11cm high ~ 19cm with its lid MARKED: Schramberger Majolikafabrik 5624 :-: fair condition with some very small chips (see photos) - Considering the sensitive material I would even say it is in good condition -- let´s call it charming vintage :-: To ensure a safe arrival, this item is packed in super-safe packaging. (up to 10 Kg) SMF SCHRAMBERG was originally founded in 1820 as Faist'sche Steingutfabrik by the stoneware expert Isidor Faist on the site of the abandoned Schramberg castle. By 1829, Faist and his factory had gained such a good reputation that Baron Ferdinand von Uechtritz became his partner under the new name of Steingut- und Majolikafabrik Uechtritz & Faist. With the Baron's financial support, the partners were able to build a new factory behind the castle, which dramatically increased production. By the 1860s, the company had a permanent workforce of 100 and an impressive number of almost 6,000 homeworkers (decorators, etc.), mainly children and women. From 1882, Faist began taking orders from Villeroy & Boch, who eventually bought the Schramberg pottery in 1883 and continued to operate it as a V&B subsidiary until the early 20th century. In 1911, several of the factory buildings had to be demolished to make way for the local railway, which drastically reduced production and caused Villeroy & Boch to lose interest in the site, which they sold to brothers Moritz and Leopold Meyer in 1912. It was the Meyers who introduced the "SMF" trademark and eventually gave the company its permanent name, Schramberger Majolika-Fabrik. In 1918 the company was transformed from a sole proprietorship to a limited liability company and the transformation was complete. The Meyer brothers were always on the lookout for new talent, and many famous artists joined the factory or contributed designs in the years that followed. Their decorative ceramics, stylized in vibrant colours, attracted much attention in the 1920s. Eva Stricker-Zeisel was a prominent designer for the company from 1928 to 1930. Her designs were strongly influenced by the Bauhaus movement and her modern form and decoration designs gave an avant-garde look to part of the production programme. As well as designing the shapes, Eva Zeisel also supplied the intended decorations for the pieces, although the decoration department often adapted her decorations to shapes for which they were not intended. They would even use them on shapes other than those designed by Zeisel and apply decors not designed by her to her shapes. This particularly happened with the very popular 'Mondrian' pattern, which often appeared on non-Zeisel shapes. The factory continued to produce Zeisel's designs for some time after her departure, but she sometimes felt that the designs were not exactly as she had intended. With the economic crisis of the early 1930s, the focus of production shifted to tableware and utilitarian ceramics, until the Nazis forced Moritz and Leopold Meyer to sell the factory in 1938 as part of the forced aryanisation of the German state. Both emigrated to England with their families during the war, but in 1949 Peter Meyer...

Two pairs of maiolica baskets Antonio Ferretti Manufacture Lodi, circa 1770-1790 Maiolica polychrome decorated “a piccolo fuoco” (third fire). Measures: A) Height 3.54 x 6.69 x 9.84 in (9 x 17 x 25 cm); B) Height 3.93 x 7.48 x 11.02 in (10 x 19 x 28 cm). Total weight 4.85 lb (2.200 kg) State of conservation: A) One of the smaller baskets has some areas of restoration, the other slight chipping from use; B) One of the larger baskets is intact and the other shows a clearly glued break. The mold with which the baskets were forged simulates a wicker weave. The two larger works have high, vertical walls, with branch-shaped handles penetrating the weave. The painted decorations, small polychrome flowers applied only externally, highlight the points where the weaves intersect. The decision to leave the center of the basket devoid of decoration is highly unusual, but given the size and complexity of the shape, as well as the quality of the enamel, it is possible to hypothesize that it represents a precise choice in manufacturing or for a particular client. The two smaller baskets have small, twisted handles and, on the outside, reproduce more decisively the characteristic wicker weave, obtained through thin molded lines. The interior exhibits a rich, typical decoration of naturalistic flowers: a bunch centered around a main flower and secondary stems accompanied by small “semis”. The exterior of these works is also adorned with small little flowers where the weaves intersect. The size and morphological characteristics of the baskets confirm their attribution to the Lodi factory of Antonio Ferretti between 1770 and 1790, during its most successful period; by this point his original reworking of the "Strasbourg" decoration, known as "old Lodi", had achieved great fame even outside Italy. This decorative choice 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 which Antonio Ferretti introduced in Italy. This 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 had started their maiolica manufacturing business in Lodi in 1725. The forefather Simpliciano had started the business by purchasing an ancient furnace in 1725 and, indeed, we have evidence of the full activity of the furnaces from April of the same year (Novasconi-Ferrari-Corvi, 1964, p. 26 n. 4). Simpliciano had 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, 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, could 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...

English Victorian large blue Majolica porcelain jardiniere of nautilus shell shape raised on a leafy form pedestal base (signed MINTON, 1873)

Splendid polychrome majolica plate belonging to the Montelupo ceramic workshop. The enamel has also been applied to the rim, in an elegant aqua green, while the background is white d...

Rare early 16th century Mudejar tile of the so-called ‘Aristo’ or 'cuerda secca' technique Geometric design with a central intertwining cords. Very ornate decoration. This type of...