Deruta pottery: The Salt War in 1540

The Umbria region has got two main towns, Perugia and Terni.

Deruta is under the district of Perugia. 

Wheat is life! Excellent flour and bread in Umbria.

In 1540 Perugia was fighting the Pope on the occasion of the salt war, which originated from the fact that Perugia did not accept another tax on the salt, under the Pope's monopoly, Pope Paul III of the Farnese Family at that time. 

Perugia lost the war and the city was finally submitted to the Pope's domains. As a result, starting at that time, the territory of Perugia boycotted the salt tax. This is why local bread in Deruta and in our region is traditionally salt-free.

In the ceramics art museum of Deruta, you may admire beautiful Renaissance salt dispensers. Salt was something that wealthy families only could afford. 

In the Renaissance, the Deruta ceramics art reached the highest excellence inspired by artists such as Perugino, Pintoricchio, Raffaello, Michelangelo, the best artists who worked for the Popes.                                     

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Saint Valentine

A Valentine All Year Long.
We will write about Terni in February, celebrating Saint Valentine originally from this town. Saint Valentine is going to be among our future appointments in 2011.
Happy New Year!
    

- Original Post by Roberta Niccacci -

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Deruta traditons: The Confraternity of the Rosary

The Virgin of the Rosary

In Deruta in the past Century there was a Confraternity of the Rosary to which the "Derutesi" were very devoted. The only Chapel of the Church of Saint Francis in Deruta is dedicated to the original prayer of the Rosary.

I am showing here the most popular image of this Virgin, which is most familiar to us.
From the iconographic point of view, we may notice the same structure of the Siena pattern: here we have two Saints adoring the Virgin and Child, in the Siena pattern two deer on each side of the fount.

It is interesting to know that this Confraternity was first established in the Renaissance, exactly in 1470 and approved by  Pope Sixtus IV in 1479.

The Virgin of the Rosary is originally from Pompei. The Feast of the "Madonna del Rosario" is on October 7th.

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Along with the rebirth of the Ceramics Art at the end of the 19th Century, the Derutesi brought back  religious traditions originally from the Renaissance, the age of refungence of their artistry.

Deruta Maiolica: The Sanctuary of the "Madonna dei Bagni" in Deruta

On the way to Rome and in the territory of Deruta there is a Sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin Mary, known as "Madonna dei Bagni".

The inside walls of the Church are fully decorated with ceramics plaques of "Ex-voto" (tr. fulfillments of a vow, votive offerings) from the 17th century to nowadays.

The plaques of this Church are distincted by the acronym: PGR  (Per Grazia Ricevuta= in receipt of a miracle) and by the Virgin Mary with Child on an oak tree top.

Local people are very devoted to the Sanctuary, which is a place of election for weddings. My parents got married here on September 15th, 1963. 

Ex voto plaque dated 1543.
Married couple praying the
Virgin Mary.

The tradition of ceramics votive plaques was not new to Deruta. We show here an example of a Renaissance ex-voto plaque belonging to the Commune of Deruta.

Credit: Deruta Ceramics Museum.
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By visiting the Sanctuary of the "Madonna del Bagno" (Original name of the Church, tr."The Virgin of the Fount"),  you may have the opportunity of studying 350 years of evolution of the ceramics art of Deruta. Also interesting from the social and anthropological point of view. The Church is an open museum!

Deruta pottery: "Chi lava il capo all'asino, perde il ranno e il sapone".

Renaissance saying on the armchair, dated 1556.
Credit: Deruta Ceramics Museum.

                   CHI LAVA IL CAPO ALL'ASINO PERDE RANNO E SAPONE

The English translation of this famous Italian proverb is: He who scrubs the head of a donkey wastes both soap and ashes (which means that it is very difficult to let someone who is stubborn change his mind. Therefore you waste your time and efforts).

In Italy, a donkey is an animal representing a stubborn person or a person who does not deserve your help and attention. By helping such people, you may receive a kick or more than one in return. 

Armchair's detail

Now let's interpret the Italian saying: 

Soap translates "ranno e sapone". "Ranno" was actually the mixture of boiling water and ashes used to do the laundry with the addition of soap in times past.

Laundry in Deruta and in many villages in Italy was a choral event. There were community founts ("fonti") for the laundry. In my town, this place is on the main street going uptown from the Borgo to the Piazza, on the left side of the street. Indeed we call this street "Le Fonti".

You may find a beautiful example of Renaissance visual interpretation of this proverb at the Ceramics Museum of Deruta, in the shape of a wall plate dated 1556  - CHI LAVA EL CAPO A LASINO SI PERDE OMNI FATIGA (He who scrubs the head of donkey wastes all efforts)

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"Le Fonti" street is currently closed for works of consolidation of the City Walls of Deruta. In order to visit downtown Deruta,  it is necessary to take the street called "Le Cerquelle" (the Street of Little Oaks).

Update April 2011: the street has been reopened.

Blog post updated January 2021.

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- Original Posts by Roberta Niccacci -

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Filippo Lippi: Sicut salvavit cervus Sanctum Stephanum.

The famous Madonna

by Filippo Lippi

simplified and used 
as a model for

ceramics reproductions
in Deruta.

Uffizi Gallery, Florence

We take inspiration from the Siena pattern, the deer and the Biblical Psalm to invite our readers to visit the Cathedral of Prato, in the occasion of an interesting exhibition in this town about the correspondances of arts in the Renaissance.

The Cathedral of Prato is a wonderful example of Renaissance Art. It is dedicated to Santo Stefano (Saint Stephen) and its walls are painted with the stories of this Saint (fresco cycle).

In particular the story says that a female deer  saved the life of Saint Stephen as a newborn when the Devil exchanged him in his cradle at home with one of his devils and carried the Saint to the woods to die.

The paintings of the Stories of Saint Stephen are by Filippo Lippi who worked in Prato from 1452 to 1465. These frescoes were recently restored (2001-2006) by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage.

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Prato is famous for its fabrics: Now exhibiting at the Fabrics Museum : "Ceramics and fabrics. Dialogue between Renaissance Arts in Tuscany", until February 28th, 2011. online:  www.museodeltessuto.it (facebook/museodeltessuto).

Sicut salvavit cervus Sanctum Stephanum (tr. the same way the deer saved Saint Stephen) is a free adaptation of  the Biblical Psalm "sicut Cervus ad fontem" of the Siena pattern.

Deruta ceramics: The Duke Federico da Montefeltro and his wife Battista Sforza.

Photo Credit: Uffizi Gallery, Florence
Duke Federico da Montefeltro and his wife Battista Sforza  circa  1465.

One of the most important and inspiring Nobelman of the Renaissance history in Italy is Federico da Montefeltro (1422-1482). One of his properties was  the Palazzo Ducale in Gubbio, where he was born.

I went to the Palazzo Ducale for the first time this year on June 26th to visit an exhibition of Renaissance ceramics from private collections, including Deruta.

I was astonished by the beauty of the Palace and by a 3D theater setting  with one of my favorite Italian actors, Giulio Base, playing the part of the Duke.

The Duke of Montefeltro is important in the history of Deruta, because Umbrian artisans took inspiration from him and his wife for the Ceramics Renaissance Portrait Plates: two single plates where the nobleman and the noblewoman look at each other.

In Deruta the same rule  is extended to  traditional patterns: if you have two plates containing two birds, one on each plate, like in the Arabesco pattern, remember that  they have to look at each other versus running after each other!

The "ritratti affrontati" (tr. fronted portraits) or "dittico" (tr.diptych) is considered as a symbol of Aristocracy. The author of the portraits above is the Italian Renaissance Artist Piero della Francesca. It is a very famous work of art, depicting the most famous profiles of the Renaissance.

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Do not miss the Uffizi Gallery when you travel to Italy. Enjoy the origin of cultural traditions! Take home something memorable, a piece of Italian history in your heart. Closed on Mondays. 

Deruta Cooking Classes: CAMA DERUTA Recipe

Everybody goes crazy for Limoncello!

Original Recipe from the Umbria region

Organic Home Made Limoncello

Ingredients:

one liter of alcohol (95°) 

the skin of 8 organic lemons

600 grams of sugar

one liter of water

Peel the 8 lemons finely leaving out the white part of the skin. Add it to the alcohol. Let it soak for 20 days in a sealed glass container.

After 20 days, take the one liter water, add the sugar and bring them to boiling temperature.

Filter the flavored alcohol.

Let the boiling water cool down. When the water is cold, add the flavored alcohol.

Filter it again and fill your preferred glass bottles with your home made “Limoncello”. 

Enjoy it cold or room temperature according to your taste!

p.s. we recommend the usage of organic lemons because of the lemon skin as a basic soaking element in this recipe. 

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Regarding soaking, this is how lead in ceramics  became a problem. Acid food like tomatoes or vinegar take out the lead contained in such ceramics. Some individuals are allergic to it and show its effects immediately. But lead is not healthy for anybody because it affects the nervous central system. 

Buy ceramics from suppliers whom you can trust! 

Deruta Art Classes: Roman Writing in Renaissance Art

Study of the letter "A" in 1526.

At CAMA DERUTA about a year and a half ago we had the pleasure of enjoying the lecture of an Italian  Professor teaching our artists how to write the Renaissance way.

We were delighted by knowing how Renaissance artists would have done the writing in Renaissance times. We did a full imersion in times past.

The inspiration for the Renaissance writing comes from the Latin classical culture: spaces between words were separated by triangles or leaves, letters were written with reinforces called "graces" in order to make reading easier from far. This technique was used for inscriptions on monuments and Churches, as you may notice when visiting the original art buildings in Italy.

In modern times this kind of writing in typography goes under the name of "serif fonts". 

We loved the lesson and we will always remember that day. The Artists did their testing on a custom made platter for a special Cama customer. The outcome was really graceful!

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Deruta History: The hospital of St. Jacques

INTRODUCING BORGODERUTA

                                          

Deruta is mainly divided into two parts: the upper part is the "Piazza", the lower part is known as "Borgo". A third neighborhood is the "Valle", located north-east of Deruta between the two main districts. 

The Borgo is where artisans and craftsmen traditionally lived. In the Renaissance in the Borgo of Deruta there was a hospital for the pilgrims on their way to Rome from Santiago de Compostela (Spain), called "Hospital of St.Jacques).

The pilgrims devoted to St.Jacques had the shell as their symbol (left shoulder of St.Jacques in the image). In this post we are publishing the original plaque of the hospital dated 1594.

We love Borgoderuta, nowadays Ambassador of talents like "Cama" and more to come for you!

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Writing in Latin: "Hospitalis Iacobi Sub Regim Comunis"  -  tr: "Hospital of  St.Jacques under the control of the Commune". The plaque belongs to the Ceramics Museum of Deruta. 

Deruta ceramics: Easy and friendly shopping at Cama!

The first multiple shipment of Cama majolica is getting ready to sail!

POSTPONED PROJECT - WILL ADVISE WHEN READY -

Dear Friends of Cama and New Customers,

The Cama website is a work in progress and we build it with you and around you. Your feedback is important to us!

If you are not feeling confident to conclude your shopping experience now, feel free to send us your pre-orders. Simply follow these steps:

1) Select your purchase;
2) Push the button "order";
3) Fill in the customer's information;
4) Press the button "send order".

Start sending your pre-orders now and you will be sure to be included in the first collective shipment  to the United States from Cama.  All the packages friendly close to one another by ship up to the port of New York and forwarded with grace to your home address!

Reminder: For orders coming in within January 1st, 2011  -  Expected arrival date: March 15th, 2011.
Note: Ships are every three months: March, June, September and December.

Important notice: In case of unsufficient quantitites worth shipping by boat,  alternatively shipments will be effected by air DDP (Duty Delivery Paid).

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By shipping collectively by boat we will help the environement and encourage the slow old fashioned way of experiencing life!