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Item Ships From: Italy
Tosin Pair of Cats Ceramic, 1940, Italy
By Arturo Tosi
Located in Milano, IT
Exceptional pair of cats ceramic 1940, Italy, Tosin.
Category
1940s Italian Other Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Midcentury Aldo Londi Blue Glazed "Rimini" Ceramic Ashtray, Bitossi Italy, 1960s
By Bitossi, Aldo Londi
Located in Roma, IT
Beautiful and large round midcentury ashtray in blue glazed ceramic (Rimini Blu). This amazing piece was designed by Aldo Londi and produced by Bitossi in Italy during 1960s.
Thi...
Category
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Pottery, Ceramic
Ginori 19th Century Italian Renaissance Style Big Majolica Vase
By Richard Ginori
Located in Brescia, IT
Big Majolica vase
Ginori
Italy, 1850-1890
Very good codiction
Difetto di cottura sotto la base (vedere fotografia)
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Renaissance Antique Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Majolica
Giacomo Balla Sculpture Ceramic Riccardo Gatti Futurist Art Deco Italy 1930s
By Riccardo Gatti, Giacomo Balla
Located in Catania, IT
We present an authentic sculpture by the famous futurist artist Giacomo Balla.
A very rare tea service produced in the middle of the Futurist period in Italy.
Extremely rare object...
Category
1920s Italian Futurist Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Pottery
Saint Jacques Hand-Painted Dinner Plates - Set of 4 Made in Italy
By Bertrando Di Renzo
Located in ROCCAVIVARA CB, IT
Enhance your summer entertaining with the elegant Ceramic Saint Jacques Plates. Expertly handcrafted and beautifully hand-painted in Italy, these plates feature distinctive scalloped...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Set of 2 Ceramic Ikat Dessert Plates - Style #104
By Les Ottomans
Located in ROCCAVIVARA CB, IT
Elevate your dessert presentation with this Set of 2 Ceramic Ikat Dessert Plates, made in Italy. Made from 100% ceramic and featuring a distinctive ikat-inspired design, these plates...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Anatomica, Porcelain Hand with Submarine decoration by Vito Nesta
By Vito Nesta
Located in Milano, Lombardia
This striking sculpture is part of the Anatomica series by Vito Nesta, featuring decorative objects with simple and essential anatomical shapes characterized by bold, contrasting col...
Category
2010s Italian Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
Ceramic optical Tile Designed by Ettore Sottsass for Cedit Ceramiche, 1968
By Ettore Sottsass, Cedit Ceramiche 1
Located in taranto, IT
Rare ceramic tile designed in 1968 by Ettore Sottsass for Cedit Ceramiche
aluminum frame
Size with frame 35x35 cm, tile size 15x15 cm, protrusion from the wall 5 cm
Very good cond...
Category
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Contemporary Cuorecarpenito Terracotta White Vase Bibi Australe Collection
By CuoreCarpenito
Located in Reggio Emilia, IT
The Bibi vase is part of the Australe collection
It is made with a clay slab, that means, by folding a clay slab around a disc- shaped base thus to create the structure, which is the...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic, Terracotta
Marcello Fantoni Unusual Modernist Ceramic Wall Plate, Italy 1950s
By Marcello Fantoni
Located in Milan, IT
Marcello Fantoni Unusual Modernist Ceramic Wall Plate, Italy 1950s
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Ceramic Plates by Gio Ponti for Franco Pozzi, 1960s, Set of 5
By Gio Ponti
Located in Varese, Lombardia
Set of 5 decorative plates designed by Gio Ponti for Ceramica Franco Pozzi.
Fair condition: visible signs of wear, discolorations and some chipping. A restoration is recommended.
Label maker...
Category
1960s Italian Space Age Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Six Naif Plates by Gerard Laplau for Villeroy & Boch
By Villeroy & Boch
Located in Lugo, IT
Six Naif Plates by Gerard Laplau for Villeroy & Boch
Good Condition
Thank you
Category
1980s German Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
$522 Sale Price
20% Off
Italian Maiolica Ancient Sugar Bowl, Lodi, 1770-1780
By Antonio Ferretti
Located in Milano, IT
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...
Category
1770s Italian Rococo Antique Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Maiolica
Franco Pozzi Italian Black Ceramic Centerpiece 1960s
By Franco Pozzi
Located in Reggio Emilia, IT
Italian Mid-Century Modern design ceramic centerpiece designed by Franco Pozzi for Ceramiche Franco Pozzi composed of two stackable elements with printed manufacturer’s mark under bo...
Category
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
$829 Sale Price
20% Off
Giovanni de Simone 1970s Ceramic Plate with Slaughter Multicolored Fish, Italy
By Giovanni de Simone
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Giovanni De simone 1970s ceramic plate with slaughter of multicolored fish and fishermen.
Category
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
$1,677 Sale Price
20% Off
1960 Angelo Mangiarotti Brambilla Yellow Ceramic Set of Oil
By Angelo Mangiarotti, Fratelli Brambilla
Located in Brescia, IT
Table Set
Designer Angelo Mangiarotti
Prod. Brambilla
Italy, 1960
Ceramic mark on the bottom
Perfect Condiction
oil: h 20 x 6 x 6 cm
salt: h 8 x 5 x 4 cm
tray: h 4 x 20 x 18 cm
Category
1960s Italian Space Age Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Sheep Moneybox Pop Art, Pastel Blue, Made in Italy, 2022, New Collection
By Mosche Bianche
Located in San Miniato PI, IT
These splendid ceramic creations are born from the artistic laboratory of Mosche Bianche.
The piggy bank, a means that has always been used to remind us of the importance of savi...
Category
2010s Italian Modern Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
$264 Sale Price / item
25% Off
GUCCI Set of 2 Card Plates
By Gucci
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Set of 2 vintage Gucci porcelain plates in the motif of poker cards / Made in Italy
Original stamp on the base
Diameter: 8.5 inches, height 1 inch
set of 2 available in stock in Ital...
Category
20th Century Italian Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
$420 Sale Price / set
30% Off
Italian Views Dessert Set
By Laboratorio Paravicini
Located in Milan, IT
The typical Italian landscapes and views characterize this elegant dessert set of 6 pieces with fancy red and blue tones. Each dish measures 22.5 cm and is 100% made in Italy by mast...
Category
2010s Italian Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
$569 / set
Modern Animal Riccardo Gatti Faenza Ceramic
By Riccardo Gatti
Located in Roma, IT
Italian Riccardo Gatti faenza "Antelope” sculpture
Animalier glazed “lustre” ceramic
Signed under the base
1950s.
Every item of our Gallery, upon reques...
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
“Sun Head” Ceramic Sculpture by Aldo Londi for Bitossi, Italy, 1970s
By Bitossi, Aldo Londi
Located in Bagnolo Mella, Brescia
Striking ceramic Sun Head sculpture designed by Aldo Londi for Bitossi Ceramiche in the 1970s, part of the iconic Rimini Blu collection.
Executed in glazed ceramic, this sculptural ...
Category
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Björn Wiinblad Face Vase for Rosenthal Studio Linie 1970s
By Bjorn Wiinblad, Rosenthal
Located in Milan, IT
Björn Wiinblad Face Vase for Rosenthal Studio Linie 1970s
Category
1970s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Set of 6 Decorative Plates "Specialità Torinesi" by P. Fornasetti for Fiat
By Fornasetti, Piero Fornasetti
Located in Varese, Lombardia
Rare set of six decorated and gilded ceramic plates designed by Piero Fornasetti.
This collection was specially created by the Fornasetti Atelier...
Category
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Gold Plate
Tile set series "Zanuso 31" design Marco Zanuso for Cedit, 1968
By Marco Zanuso, Cedit Ceramiche 1
Located in taranto, IT
set of 4 Tiles from the series "Zanuso 31" , consists of 4 elements decorated with orange decal on glossy white glaze forming a sun.
In 1968, CEDIT introduced to the world of cerami...
Category
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Aluminum
Italian Midcentury Large Dish in Ceramic Form the 1970s
Located in bari, IT
Beautiful large ornamental centerpiece dish in ceramic by Giovanni De Pascalis contemporary sculptor painter, 1973.
Category
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
$605 Sale Price
20% Off
Orange Ceramic Vase Enzo Bioli for Il Picchio, Italy 1970s
By Enzo Bioli
Located in Rome, IT
Orange ceramic vase by the Italian designer Enzo Bioli for IL PICCHIO.
Made in Italy in the 1960s.
The original signature is still visible on the bottom, as shown in the pictu...
Category
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Saint Jacques Hand-Painted Ceramic Tray Made in Italy
By Bertrando Di Renzo
Located in ROCCAVIVARA CB, IT
Enhance your summer entertaining with the elegant Ceramic Saint Jacques Platter. Expertly handcrafted and beautifully hand-painted in Italy, this platter feature distinctive scallope...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
ceramic tiles design Jean - Pierre Garrault - delord 1970 in frame
By Garrault-Delord, Cedit Ceramiche 1
Located in taranto, IT
very rare composition of three ceramic tiles of 1970s Cedit Italia production, designed by jean Pierre Garrault and henri Delord, on a white background with geometric patterns in ora...
Category
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Aluminum
Midcentury Ashtray by Montelupo in Blue "Rimini" Ceramic, Bitossi Italy, 1960s
By Bitossi, Flavia Montelupo
Located in Roma, IT
Original and signed Mid-Century ashtray in a fantastic vibrant blue glazed ceramic (Rimini Blu). This amazing and rare piece is signed on the bottom and was designed by Flavia Monte...
Category
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic, Pottery
Porcelain Dragon, Handmade in Italy, Handcrafted Design 2021
By Mosche Bianche
Located in San Miniato PI, IT
Our artisan's pieces are a dream come true, as in Dragon Trainers.
This ceramic piece is completely hand-crafted and painted with love and care.
Category
2010s Italian Baroque Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
$2,027 Sale Price / item
25% Off
Porcelain Candle Holder by Karl Tutter for Hutschenreuther, Germany
By Hutschenreuther
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in Germany, 1930s.
This high-quality two-arm candle holder is made in white and gold glazed porcelain by Karl Tutter for Hutschenreuther.
It is. vintage piece, therefore it m...
Category
1930s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Gold
1980s Gorgeous Green and Yellow Tea Set/Coffee Set in Ceramic by Naj Oleari.
Located in Milano, IT
1980s Gorgeous Green and Yellow Tea Set/Coffee Set in Ceramic by Naj Oleari. Made in Italy. The items are in excellent condition
- 1 Coffee/Tea pot 9,05" x 5,51" x 5,90 H" inches - ...
Category
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Large pair of Italian ceramic yellow plates Buoscaroli CAB Bologna, 1920s
Located in Milano, IT
Pair of plates in Ceramica BUSCAROLI Bologna 20's. Strong connotation deriving from the property of the moment of Emiliani. Persian palmette decorations with variations of various ki...
Category
1920s Italian Rustic Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
$838 Sale Price / set
20% Off
1970s by Tassinari Faenza Italian Pottery Ceramic Box
By Tassinari
Located in Brescia, IT
Polychrome ceramic
Perfect condition.
Category
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Pottery
Porcelain Teapot, Milk Jug and Sugar Bowl, Birds and Flowers Japan Early 1900s
Located in Milan, IT
Polychrome hand-decorated porcelain teapot, milk jug and sugar bowl with refined depictions of birds, flowers, and bucolic Japanese landscapes....
Category
Early 20th Century Japanese Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
Saint Jacques Hand-Painted Pasta Plates - Set of 4 Made in Italy
By Bertrando Di Renzo
Located in ROCCAVIVARA CB, IT
Enhance your summer entertaining with the elegant Ceramic Saint Jacques Plates. Expertly handcrafted and beautifully hand-painted in Italy, these plates feature distinctive scalloped...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Majolica Plate Centerpiece Hand Painted Wall Dish Bowl Blue Aquamarine Italy
By deBlona
Located in Recanati, IT
Large plate Made and hand painted in Italy according to the original Renaissance painting technique. The plate is decorated in polychrome painted majolica, according to a rich grotes...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
1970s Modernist Hand-Crated and Painted Ceramic Unique Piece Sicilian Jug
By (after) Pablo Picasso
Located in Aci Castello, IT
This jug is a beautiful example of Modernist design fused with traditional Sicilian artistic elements, showcasing bold colors, intricate patterns, and a focus on hand-made quality. I...
Category
Mid-20th Century Sicilian Modern Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Nils Thorsson Scandinavian Ceramic Vases for Royal Copenhagen, 1960s
By Royal Copenhagen, Nils Thorsson
Located in Reggio Emilia, IT
Scandinavian ceramic vases set designed by Danish artist Nils Thorsson for Royal Copenhagen with mark and numbering printed on the bottom, 19...
Category
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Deruta, Hand-Painted Ceramic Vase, Figure of a Dragon, Italy, 1960s
By Deruta
Located in Roma, IT
Bellissimo vaso in stile RAFFAELLO , raffigurante un Drago
Deruta, Italy, 1960s.
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
The Barn Hand-Painted Ceramic Dinner Plate - Mix Set of 4
By Les Ottomans
Located in ROCCAVIVARA CB, IT
Bring rustic charm and countryside warmth to your table with the Barn Collection Hand-Painted Ceramic Dinner Plate Set. This enchanting set features four distinctively designed dinne...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Montelupo and Londi Midcentury Blue Ceramic Italian Vase for Bitossi, 1960s
By Bitossi, Aldo Londi
Located in Roma, IT
Amazing midcentury blue glazed terracotta ceramic blue vase. This fantastic item was designed by Flavia Montelupo and Aldo Londi for Bitossi in Italy, Rimini, during the late 1950s o...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
1960s by Piero Fornasetti for Testa Studio Advertising Plate
By Fornasetti
Located in Brescia, IT
Piero Fornasetti by Armando Testa Studio
Very rare and limited series, Italy, 1960s.
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Monumental Italian 1940s Gold on Green Painted Terracotta Vase
Located in Milan, IT
Monumental Italian 1940s Gold on Green Painted Terracotta Vase
Category
1940s Italian Art Deco Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Terracotta
Italy Late 18th Century Ceramic Dish or Decorative Centerpiece
Located in Brescia, IT
This is an antique piece produced in Tuscany at the end of the 18th Century following the Rustic style. The expression of the antique craftmenships of the Tuscany artisans is well s...
Category
Late 18th Century Italian Rustic Antique Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
19th Century Old Hand-Painted Ceramic Sicilian Salt Container
Located in Catania, Sicilia
The sicilian salt container has beeen hand-crafted in the small town of Patti, it is adorned with intricate hand-painted designs in earthy tones, predominantly green and brown, which are characteristic of traditional Sicilian pottery...
Category
Mid-20th Century Sicilian Folk Art Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Green Ceramic Stackable Cone Set by Pierre Cardin for Franco Pozzi, Italy 1970
By Ettore Sottsass, Franco Pozzi, Pierre Cardin, Ambrogio Pozzi, Joe Colombo
Located in Rome, IT
MoMA attribute the design of this fabulous stackable green ceramic Cono tableware set to Joe Colombo for the Espace Pierre Cardin store in Paris in 1970. Other sources debate this, saying that it was designed by Italian ceramicist Ambroglio Pozzi for his father's company, Ceramiche Franco Pozzi. This set comprises salt and pepper shakers, two bowls and a egg carrier...
Category
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Italian Renaissance Plate, Patanazzi Workshop Urbino, End of 16th Century
By Patanazzi Workshop
Located in Milano, IT
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...
Category
16th Century Italian Renaissance Antique Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Maiolica
20th Century Enameled and Hand Painted Ceramic Italian Vase, 1950
Located in Vicoforte, Piedmont
Large Italian vase of the mid-20th century. Ceramic object enameled and hand painted with decorations of character and oriental style. Vase with lid adorned with sculpture depicting ...
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Anatomica, Porcelain Hand with Ex-Voto Decoration by Vito Nesta
By Vito Nesta
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Le mani in porcellana della collezione Anatomica, creata da Vito Nesta per il suo brand Grand Tour, sono un oggetto di design intramontabile e di grande valore decorativo. La produzione di queste porcellane è affidata a Fratelli Majello che dal 1867 sono maestri delle lavorazioni di Capodimonte. Ogni mano è decorata con estro e fantasia, ben 20 decori sono infatti disponibili, avendo la possibilità di integrarsi alla perfezione in qualsiasi ambiente, che sia una camera da letto, un mobile ingresso...
Category
2010s Italian Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
The Sultans Garden Hand-Painted Ceramic Dinner Plate, Made in Italy
By Bertrando Di Renzo
Located in ROCCAVIVARA CB, IT
Elevate your table with The Sultan's Garden plate, a harmonious blend of artistry and elegance. The hand-painted border frames a delicate floral design, created with a hand-applied d...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Country Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Rectangular Ceramic Studio Tray by Zaur, Roma, Italy
Located in Albano Laziale, Rome/Lazio
Studio hand made tray from Italy. It has a rectangular shape with rounded corners and a bevelled edge. The base is a lushious gold and it has been hand painted entirely with exotic f...
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Rare Ginori Plate in Painted Porcelain 1860 Italy with Allegory of Women
By Carlo Ginori
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Rare Ginori plate in porcelain painted 1860 Italy with Allegory of Women, taken from a work of the Uffizzi of Florence of 1600 by Francesco Furini "Painti...
Category
1860s Italian Mid-Century Modern Antique Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain, Walnut
$3,542 Sale Price
20% Off
The Sultan's Garden Hand-Painted Ceramic Dinner Plates - Set of 6, Made in Italy
By Les Ottomans
Located in ROCCAVIVARA CB, IT
Elevate your table with The Sultan's Garden plate, a harmonious blend of artistry and elegance. The hand-painted border frames a delicate floral design, created with a hand-applied d...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Country Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Pair of Airbrushed Ceramic Ducks Decorative Objects by Ugo Zaccagnini, Italy
By Ugo Zaccagnini
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Italy, 1950s.
Made in airbrushed ceramic.
They are vintage pieces, therefore they might show slight traces of use, but they can be considered as in excellent original condition and ...
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Handapainted Coral ceramic dessert plates
By Bertrando Di Renzo
Located in ROCCAVIVARA CB, IT
handpainted coral ceramic plates
Made in italy, ceramic
A piece of italian craftsmanship on your table
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Japanese Komorebi Scented Candle Cup Black Base Raku Crackle
By LAAB Milano
Located in monza, Monza and Brianza
Komerobi, in Japanese, means: " the sunlight that passes through the leaves of the trees ". This cup by its extremely clean design is a reminder of the zen essentiality and the use of the cup for its most sacred purpose during ceremonies. Featuring a wooden wick, that enables the flame to expand itself also horizontally and with a sound reminding the crackle of the fire. Citrus top notes mixed with Ginger, Almond, and Spices heart notes give this fragrance an irresistible appeal. A black burnt Raku band and its raku crackle...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
1930s Art Deco Orange and White Ceramic Rosolio Set by Rometti Umbertide
By Rometti Ceramics 1
Located in Aci Castello, IT
A ceramic liquor set designed and manufactured in the Thirties by Rometti Umbertide, it'is in good conditions overall with normal signs of use and age, it's signed on the bottom Rome...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Art Deco Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
San Polo Venezia small ceramic feeding bird chicks sculpture, Italy 1950s
By San Polo
Located in Milan, IT
San Polo Venezia small ceramic feeding bird chicks sculpture.
Italy 1950s
Fully signed
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Vaso Bianco, Ceramic White Vase by Michele De Lucchi
By Produzione Privata, Michele de Lucchi
Located in Roma, IT
This vase represents the beginning of a new design era for De Lucchi beyond Memphis. This new beginning is best illustrated by inadvertedly abandoning all the critical features of wh...
Category
Early 2000s Italy - Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic