May 17-June 28, 2015
Vietri – Italy
Clara Garesio is the past, present and future of Vietri pottery. The title of her new exhibition is meaningful: An Endless Spring. And, indeed, the joy of Southern colors, the pulse of the Amalfi Coast, the harmony of Italy inhabit her work.
The exhibition will open in a few days in the Museum of Ceramics in Villa Guariglia that hosts a breathtaking collection of Vietry pottery. A must see.
The most beautiful things are the unexpected ones.
Last Sunday we decided for a trip to Bevagna (Umbria): a bit of sightseeing and some good food & wine to recharge the batteries after a busy week.
Bevagna is a small village not far from Perugia, with awesome buildings from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, cobbled streets and peoples filling the main square after Sunday mass.
Strolling around, we stepped into Saint Frances Church and we found a jewel: a glazed terracotta dome made by Santi Buglioni.
We took some pictures with the mobile phone and, despite the poor light, we believe they manage to convey the beauty of this work that is, we were to discover, not very well known.
The author of the dome, Santi Buglioni, is an Italian sculptor who lived and worked in Florence in the 16th century, when glazed terracotta was a very popular decorative technique, thanks to the talents of the Della Robbia family.
Santi inherited the secrets of this technique and actually worked with Giovanni Della Robbia in the Ospedale del Ceppo, in Pistoia, one of his most famous works, where he sculpted the frieze that runs along the entire length of the loggia of the hospital, representing the Seven Acts of Mercy.
Santi Buglioni, detail of the frieze on the Loggia of the Ospedale del Ceppo, Pistoia – Credits “The red list” website
He was mostly active in Florence, where his glazed terracotta stille decorates the Biblioteca Laurenziana, Palazzo Vecchio and the Bargello.
By Tiziana Manzetti
The personalization is only one of the charming details that differentiate handmade pottery from machine made ceramics, yet it is perhaps the most valuable detail as it has the power to turn a nice object into a cherished piece of somebody’s life.
Most of the beautiful Italian pottery pieces that leave us breathless when we visit Museums or antique art galleries were made on commission and somehow personalized. The commissioner briefed the artist as to the message he wished the item to deliver and the artist decorated the pottery accordingly.
Especially popular as wedding gifts, large wall plates, urns, bowls and jars were carriers of moral lessons on beauty, virtue or timeless love, which took the form of images or mottos nicely painted in elaborate scrolls. Continue reading
A source of positive symbolic meanings, peacocks are prominent in Italian pottery.
Pliny the Elder, the Roman philosopher, described very well how the peacock replaces his entire tail of feathers annually. This fascinating event, together with the belief that the bird’s flesh never goes bad but dries naturally, entitled our ancestors to depict him as a symbol of resurrection, renewal and immortality.
Often the representation of the peacocks on Italian ceramic objects focuses on the “eyes” that decorate the birds magnificent tail. Occhio di pavone, the “peacock eye”, has been a popular motif on our pottery: for example on the rim of Renaissance wall plates, on large serving bowls, on our dinnerware.
This story is about love and dedication, about beauty and craftsmanship, about history and heritage.
Pio Mellina is a man who turned his passion for antique Italian tiles into a dream and a few years ago the dream came true. He has created “Le Stanze al Genio”, a Museum in Palermo where visitors can explore his huge collection and marvel at the variety of designs, styles and colors. A display of Italic creative genius! Pio has been collecting antique Italian tiles since he was a child. Instead of joining his friend for a soccer match, he searched the little street markets in the old city. Tiles were cheap, as people did not know what to do with them. Sometimes they were just the waste of the renovation of old houses. Pio purchased them and stored them in his parent’s basement.
When the basement was packed with tiles and Pio could no longer locate what he was looking for, he started to organize them and to collect information as well. His studies changed his collecting habits: he learnt to appraise the tiles he found and purchased some very rare pieces. Pio’s wish to have a place of his own where the tiles could be displayed and appreciated by anyone grew over time, just like his collection. In 1998 he bought a flat in an ancient downtown building. He started the renovation with a twofold purpose: it had to be his home as well as the place where all his tiles could be beautifully displayed. In 2008 Pio Mellina’s house and museum was ready and opened to the public. Continue reading
A pumo is popular symbol of good luck in Grottaglie and more in general in the region of Puglia. Every family celebration and important event is sanctified by the gift of a ceramic pumo, rigorously handmade.
Its name, from the local dialect “Pumo de’ fiure”, means flower bud and it derives from the Latin “pomum” from Pomona, from Pomona, the Roman Goddess of fruitful abundance. The bud is round, with a slightly pointed end, and it rests on acanthus leaves, symbols of immortality or, if you will, resurrection.
As you can see the references to good luck are endless, explaining the popularity of the pumi: there is always a good reason to purchase a pumo or give it as a gift to wish someone a good start in a new activity. Typically, a new family will not move its first steps in the community without its brand new pumi, installed at every corner of every balcony of the new nest.
Wandering in the steep streets of Grottaglie and the neighboring villages, you’ll find yourself unable to keep your eyes at ground level: the show is on the first and second floors, where the whitish buildings boast their beautiful balconies with colorful pumi’s on each corner. You will see majestic palaces, once owned by noble families, decorated with elaborate pumi, modest houses taking pride on their simple ceramic buds, each having found its distinctive symbol of prosperity, fertility and abundance.
Pumi are made by hand by Grottaglie potters in a large variety of styles and sizes: you’ll find simple, solid colored traditional pumi as well as colorful, fancy ones. Follow your taste and bring one home, they are beautiful interior decoration accents, indoor and outdoor and … we all need good luck, don’t we?
By Tiziana Manzetti
We’ve mentioned that Grottaglie has been popular for many centuries for the quality and variety of its functional pottery. We’ve found a great picture to show you.
This is an old “pignata ferrata”, a vessel used to cook legumes, tasty ingredients of the local cuisine. Indeed, one of the most popular dish in the area is broad beans & chicory.
The iron net you see on the pot was applied to add resistance to the vessel!
By Tiziana Manzetti
We have recently added to our website a page about Grottaglie, a charming town in Puglia where industrious potters have been making vessels and more or less functional ceramics for many centuries.
Grottaglie pottery is pretty famous here in Italy, especially for the production of the last century, when the functional pottery has been replaced by lovely home décor accents ad and sophisticated dinnerware.
Today we ran into an article published on “La Repubblica”, a national newspaper, with very interesting pictures about Grottaglie and its heritage. Enjoy!
by Tiziana Manzetti
A couple of weeks ago we published an article about Aldo Ajo’, a most distinguished Italian ceramic artist from Gubbio. Soon after a lady from the US got in touch with us to ask if we could provide her with some info on a beautiful ceramic work she owns, that is actually signed Ajò – Gubbio.
Now, we do not usually encourage appraisal or pottery identification inquiries, because we are not professionally prepared for the job. However we were intrigued by the lucky chance and we decided to ask Prof. Ettore Sannipoli, an experienced art critic and connoisseur of Ajo’s works, if he could have a look at the pictures of this amazing art work.
Prof. Sannipoli confirmed that the bull – that’s what we are talking about, a most beautiful bull! – is authentic: it was made from a mold or a model, perhaps in the Thirties.
Actually, dating the piece without having seen the item in person is quite challenging. Although Prof. Sannipoli has evidence that Ajo’ made some similarly shaped works at the beginning of the Thirties, it’s hard to determine without a close examination whether the bull is actually from that decade or if it was made later in time. Still the piece remains a most valuable collector’s prize.
One more coincidence: the bull was bought not far from Jessup, Pennsylvania, a “sister city” to Gubbio!
Thanks to our reader and privileged owner of Ajo’s bull and to Prof. Sannipoli for his time and kindness.
Mar. 26 – Apr. 12, 2011
Naples, Italy
Giuseppe Macedonio’s (1906-1986) solo exhibition is about to start in Naples, in the beautiful setting of Castel Dell’Ovo.
For the very first time a large number of the artist’s works – some unpublished – have been gathered to highlight his contribution to Neapolitan ceramic art throughout the 20th century.
The focus is on his architectural pottery: furniture and decorative ceramic sculptures, large vases and many large works made for public areas and monuments.
Macedonio learnt to make pottery as a young kid, serving his apprenticeship with renowned ceramicists in Naples and Vietri sul Mare, where he worked at the ICS, the company founded by Max Melamerson. In Vietri the artist learnt most of the pottery making techniques and met the German ceramic artists who had settled in the city and were to revive its fame.
In 1938 he founded his own workshop “I due fornaciari” in Naples, together with Romolo Vetere, a fellow artists and sculptor. A most important experience for Macedonio, who focused his talents on pottery sculptures and large panels.
