Archive category Artistic ceramics

We have made this large ornamental plate in majolica with a diameter of 62 cm with a central scene inspired by the “Pastoral Subject” by Francois Boucher (18th century). The border is richly decorated in Raphaeleque style with inserts of hilly and fluvial landscapes alternating with dancing cherubs on a blue background.
The dish presents a vast sample of the decorative richness of the Raphaeleque, with garlands, leaves, cherubs and winged figures from the man’s bust.

It is a unique and signed piece of particular value, where the decoration of ceramics is real painting. Its realization required a great decorative effort; both the central scene and the Raphaelesque figures are painted with a brush tip with great attention and precision. We are certain that you will spend hours observing this dish before having grasped all the details of its meticulous decorations.
Buy this plate on CeramicaFaenza.it

Ceramics have been produced in Faenza since the Middle Ages, but it is from the late fifteenth century, when the majolica technique reaches perfection, that decorations inspired by the Byzantine world, Arab culture and the Middle and Far East are developed. Faenza’s Renaissance decorations – the same that we produce in our shops even today – have become famous all over the world, bringing the name of Faenza to become synonymous with majolica.

The majolica of Faenza therefore has a long history that survives in the many shops of potters still working in Faenza, and is preserved in the International Museum of Ceramics – MIC.
MIC – International Museum of Ceramic in Faenza

The MIC is among the main points of artistic and historical interest of the city of Faenza, as well as probably the most important museum of ceramic art in the world. Founded in 1908, its ceramics collection has grown over time thanks to the efforts of Gaetano Ballardini, director of the MIC until 1953.

The ones you see in the photos below are some of the pieces we produce since the 80s, of different sizes and with some variations, inspired by a fifteenth-century vase probably made in Faenza and kept at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

The idea of ​​re-elaborating the decoration of such an ancient and important ceramics came to us during a visit to the famous London museum in the late ’70s: we had just started the activity and we were literally enchanted in front of a room full of Renaissance ceramics (at that time the museum spaces were not rationalized like today: the display density was greater, there were a great quantity of pieces in a single room and the glance was of great impact). We were not equipped with a camera, so we pinned on a notepad the decorations of some pieces, among which the vase decorated with braided neck animals that we interpreted as a symbol of marriage, love and, in general, of union; it was probably commissioned to give a couple of newlyweds a present.

We have thus created plates and vases in majolica variously decorated: in the picture you can see a vase painted similarly to the original and a plate that instead brings the birds with long braided neck surrounded by decorations in Pavona and Persian Palmette styles.

This large, hand-painted Raphael style plate with a scene inspired by Thomas Gainsborough’s painting “Conversation in a Park” is now available in our e-commerce. Around the eighteenth-century scene, 7 medallions on an elaborate of leaves present small raphaelesque – little dragons and dolphins – created on the designs of the ceramist Giovanni Pretolani and painted in bright colors. The medallions stand out against the nuances of the leaves, ranging from spring green to autumn browns.

It is a unique piece, particularly valuable for the great effort required both in terms of decorative capacity and for the hours of work required. Once exposed, you will spend long moments staring at it to catch every detail of its minute decorations.

Buy the plate on CeramicaFaenza.it!

“The Eternal and the time between Michelangelo and Caravaggio” is the new exhibition of the San Domenico Museums in Forlì to be held from 10 February to 17 June 2018 in the convent church of San Giacomo Apostolo, freshly restored. The Cinquecento, a century that saw the dawn of the Renaissance and the appearance of a new current, Mannerism, as well as Michelangelo and Caravaggio, will be Rahpael, Parmigianino, Vasari and many others (the list is very long!).

After having filled your eyes with the wonderful works of these artists of the sixteenth century, we invite you to rediscover the same atmosphere by visiting our exhibition of artistic ceramics. The bond between the ceramists and the painters was solid from the beginning, as demonstrated by the works of the great Xanto Avelli (1486-1542), whose ceramics bear the marks of masters of the period such as Raphael, Mantegna and Parmigianino.

We at La Vecchia Faenza, like Xanto Avelli, also have our reference painters who are a source of continuous inspiration. As shown in the painting at the center of this dish, taken from the “Boy bitten by a lizard” by Caravaggio.