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lunedì 7 febbraio 2011

Deruta ceramics history: The "Fuseruola"

Ancient beads
photo credit: "Ars Umbra"
Cultural Association in Deruta, Italy. 


The so-called "Fuseruola" is a spindle weight, basically a round-shaped ceramics bead (3/4 of an inch wide), that was part of the trousseau of the brides to be in the 16th century in Deruta.  It was considered as a token of love. The original set was composed of the spindle, the spindle weight, and the distaff.

The "Fuseruola" (bead) was technically necessary to balance the spindle. These round spheres were glazed and hand-painted with Renaissance geometric patterns
a key fob with a ceramics
bead, a "Fusolina".
enriched with classical writings in Latin such as "Ars et Amor" (Art and Love), "Omnia Vincit Amor" (tr. Love wins over everything).

Nowadays these ceramics have been brought back to life by their usage in
jewelry for i.e. necklaces, bracelets, pendants, and fobs. In earlier times they were also used for decorating runners and at the end of curtains to keep them straight.

At the Ceramics Museum of Deruta, it is possible to admire an interesting large collection of "Fuseruole" from the 16th century. 

I like to call these beads "Fusoline" ("Fusolina" is the singular), the word comes from "Fuso" that in English means "spindle". It sounds so sweet to my ear.

From the point of view of the love expressions written on the beads, they are almost what they call "Giaculatoria" (tr. short prayer) whose etymology is "Dardo" (tr. dart, arrow), therefore a message that arrives fast to the heart of the receiver, similar to nowadays "SMS"?

(to be continued...follow me on Facebook for updates at the Friends of Cama Page or subscribe to this blog upon your next visit)


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Original Posts by Roberta Niccacci -

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2 commenti:

Lynda Barlow ha detto...

In 1965 as I passed thru San Clemente, CA, I stopped at an Antique shop I had seen before, but had never found it open. This day, they were open. Inside, I spotted a small box of beads in varying sizes - 19 of these colorful clay beads for $5. They had Italian words hand-painted around the rim and my friends and family decided they must be related to apothecary in some way. Of course I purchased them and have had them in a dish on display ever since. Fast forward fifty years availability to search the internet. What a thrill to learn that these are spindle weights from Deruta, Italy. And were part of the trousseau for brides to be in the early 16th Century in Deruta. These my well be the oldest antiques I own, althought I have collected antiques for years. This discovery made my Day!

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