Next Tuesday, March 8, is International Women’s Day, commonly called Women’s Day. The social, economic and political achievements of women are celebrated, and at the same time awareness is raised about the discrimination and violence of which they are still victims today.
Women’s Day is also the moment in which every man, child, colleague pays homage to his woman, mother, connects with a sprig of mimosa, according to an all-Italian tradition born in 1946.
Women’s Day in Faenza ceramics
Women’s Day has been celebrated for just over a century, but the Faenza ceramic tradition has paid homage to women since the fifteenth century with the “Belle Donne” (Beautiful Women): portraits of attractive and lavishly dressed young people, sometimes accompanied by the name followed by the adjective “Bella” .
These portraits, still in vogue in traditional Faenza ceramics, were mainly made on ornamental plates, but also on vases and other majolica objects. The Belle Donne were then given by the man to his beloved, usually to celebrate the marriage union.
In addition to the plates with the Belle Donne, another traditional gift was represented by the fuseruola(or fusaiola), small, finely decorated rounded discs that are believed to be used in the textile business, but also as ornamental pendants or necklace beads.
To these objects of the ceramic tradition of Faenza we have added the creation of finely decorated ceramic butterflies, which allude to the grace and gracefulness of women.
The plate with the Belle Donne, the fuseruole, the butterflies and many other ceramics suitable for a tribute to women can be found in our historic shops La Vecchia Faenza (via Sant’Ippolito 23 / a, Faenza) andLaura Silvagni(Corso Garibaldi 12 / a, Faenza).
