Deruta decals

In Deruta the recent fight against "fakes" of Deruta handmade ceramics has caused enormous troubles in the town of Deruta and within its community. The town Hall and the Consortium of Ceramicists called "Deruta 1282" were convinced that the problem of the market of handmade ceramics being stuck was due to counterfeits=Deruta patterns reproduced by the use of decals, plastic printed films over the glazing, considered as fakes. A variation of the low quality products painted in China and in Romania. Therefore in 2008 they started a campaign against counterfeits. Before going to China or to Romania, they started by attacking local producers: a couple of decal ceramics factories are located in the city of Deruta and another one was located in the neighborhood of Assisi.

The presentation photo of decal Deruta
dinnerware sets in the "Sur la Table"
online store, called Deruta-style.

Photo credit: Sur La Table

One of the companies in Deruta that produces decal tableware is the official supplier of the U.S. company "Sur la Table", chain stores first established in Seattle, Pike Place Market in 1972. Sur la Table on their online store advertise their decal product from Deruta as "Deruta-style collection". Worth of notice is that small parts of the products are handpainted, such as the rims on the plates or the top of the salt and pepper shakers. 

These decal ceramics can be designated as "decorated by hand", where the word "decorated" as a literal translation of "decorato"  means that a person lays down a piece of printed film on the surface of the plate with the use of their hands. The verb "decorare" in Italian also means "painting by hand"; "decoratrice" (for a woman) "decoratore" (for a man) is the name for the ceramics artists on their official paperworks. 

Decal has been in use in Deruta for many years, companies such as "Ars Artigiana" have experimented this technique several years ago as well as "Santucci ceramics" which supplied the Perugina chocolate company with ceramics items to go with their candy products. 

Probably the point was that it is not legitimate to reproduce traditional handpainted patterns by the use of decals and by using the name of the town of Deruta. The question is: how can you fulfill the demand of chain stores and their customers who wish to have the flavor of handpainted traditional ceramics on their table at a reasonable price?

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- Original Posts by Roberta Niccacci -

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Majolica of Orvieto, Italy

The Saint Catherine of Alexandria ceramics plaque
in the Church of Saint Francis in Deruta.
See detail of the pitcher, lower left, in the archaic style
(Deruta, 1919).

We continue our virtual visits to the ceramics towns in Italy by following the map of the AICC (Official Association of the Ceramics Towns in Italy). AICC confirms that the ceramics towns in our region, Umbria, are as follows: Deruta, Gualdo Tadino, Gubbio and Orvieto.

Although Gubbio and Gualdo Tadino carry on the tradition of luster ceramics, which was also traditional in the Renaissance in Deruta, Orvieto is currently the town that has the most history in common with Deruta in terms of popular patterns. 

The Orvieto green rooster pattern,
 inspired by the city of
Orvieto and produced in Deruta
(Pitcher by Cama).  

Indeed Deruta carries a pattern with the name of this beautiful town, the Orvieto green rooster, which is a best seller in American stores during Christmas time. 

Christmas berries: colors in common with
the classical Orvieto Green Rooster pattern
from Deruta, Italy 

The Orvieto green rooster pattern is the most Medieval looking of all the patterns that you may find in the palette of Deruta classical patterns. The rooster is a cheerful addition of the painters of Deruta in the early 1900s. 

Classical shape and pattern from Orvieto, Italy
- Alexandre Imbert collection -

There are some original ceramics workshops in Orvieto, not as many as in Deruta and many shops where they sell ceramics from Orvieto, Deruta and Montelupo Fiorentino. If you are looking for authentic traditional pieces, one of the local studios in Orvieto is the "Laboratorio Ceramica L'Arpia" on Corso Cavour 186, operated by a single artist who makes interesting accessories for the home and reproductions from original Orvieto products. It gives you the actual feeling of the traditional Orvieto style of the archaic period. That is what we think of when we think of Orvieto classical ceramics. 

Regarding Orvieto traditional patterns, with leaves and portraits, local ceramics artists in Orvieto are proud of the fact that they do not use the tracing paper like we do in Deruta. 

The tracing paper was the invention of Renaissance artists to reproduce their frescoes on the walls of Churches and homes based on the original work on paper. Close-ups from the Sistine Chapel in the occasion of the last restoration show nail dots on the outlining. The tracing paper is necessary in case of intricate works and when the goal is to obtain the best consistency to the original work. The tracing paper is not an easy tool to use, it is usually the best artist who does the outlining on the charcoal dots with very fine brushes. It is important not to confuse the tracing paper with the stencil. 

The bottom part of the ceramics plaque of Saint Catherine of Alexandria
with the writing in Latin:
"PICTORES  DIRUTAE  A.D. MCMXIX" (the painters of Deruta, 1919 AD).  

When the tradition of ceramics started in Deruta in the late 1200s, pieces were very similar to the ceramics of Orvieto, with few colors namely two base colors:  green (originating from copper), brown (originating from manganese) and their shades. 

Most of the pieces in Deruta were glazed and painted on the upper part only and this technique was called "A Risparmio" (economical), because this allowed the artists to save money on the glazes, colors and on the painting time. 

The artist of the reproductions of similar archaic pieces of Deruta is Carla Cornia, who in 1979 moved from Northern Italy to Deruta because of her passion for the art of ceramics. She owns a studio downtown Deruta. 

Reproduction of an archaic Deruta piece by Carla Cornia"aeconomical style" 
In this piece just a little saving...

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- Original Posts by Roberta Niccacci -

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Porcelains of Naples, Italy

Ceramics towns in Italy according to the accredited Italian
"Ceramics Towns Association" (AICC).
Six ceramics towns in the region of Campania, 36
ceramics towns in total all over Italy.

Idea for a long weekend in Italy from Dec.8th (public holiday) to Dec.11th:
paying a visit to Naples and the Amalfi Coast. How romantic! 

Ceramics is the general name for several products, from majolica to porcelains,  from water closets to floor tiles and raw bisqueware. The specific name of  each ceramics depends on the clay, the process and the finishing of the products, varying if it is art ceramics or industrial ceramics.  

The town of Naples is also listed, being the city famous for its ceramics nativity scenes and for its porcelains traditions. 

The ceramics nativity scenes are displayed every year in Naples in the neighborhood of  San Lorenzo the second week of December, starting on December 8th (Feast of the "Immacolata"), on San Gregorio Armeno Street and new figurines are added every Christmas, some of which are really trendy, about the latest news,  portraying politicians, v.i.p.s, famous showgirls, singers and top models. Many of these figurines are
humorous.

On the right Mr. Mario Monti,  the new Italian Prime Minister and in the
back Mr. Silvio Berusconi with the sign "resigning immediately"
(Nativity figurines from Naples, Italy, 2011)

Homage to Mr.Steve Jobs
(Nativity figurine from Naples, Italy, 2011)

                                 

Madame Carla Bruni and Mr. Nicolas Sarkozy
with Giulia
(Nativity figurines from Naples, Italy, 2011)

                                   

The tradition of ceramics nativity scenes goes back in Naples to the 1700s, the same century when King Carlo di Borbone and his wife Maria Amalia di Sassonia established the first porcelain factory in the neighborhood of Capodimonte in Naples and named it: "Real Fabbrica di Capodimonte" (Royal Factory of Capodimonte) inside the famous Capodimonte Royal Palace, nowadays ceramics museum and picture museum with private ceramics collections that go back to the late 1400s and to the Italian Renaissance.  

So many ceramics towns in Italy! 

In Campania, the region of Naples you may visit Vietri sul Mare for majolicas (indeed the city was founded by the Etruscans), then Ariano Irpino for ceramics nativity scenes, Cerreto Sannita and San Lorenzello for their majolicas tradition going back to the 1600s, Cava dei Tirreni for their ceramics industrial tiles. Vietri sul Mare is the only ceramics town that I visited personally, I do not have any experience about the other cities. 

The Amalfi Coast, Unesco World Heritage Site
for its landscape

On the Amalfi Coast the most visited town is Ravello, where it is possible to purchase colorful geometric Deruta ceramics upon selection of local retail stores. Ravello is not listed by the AICC among the ceramics towns of Italy, because their ceramics are imported from other cities in Italy, such as Deruta which is their best seller. 

Majolica of Siena, Italy

Tourist shops in Italy request the name of their city as
a signature.  Otherwise they do not buy from your workshop.

 Siena is a wonderful example of Italian Art. The Cathedral of Siena is a beautiful art container starting from its famous black and white marble floor to the "Piccolomini Library". The Cathedral marble floor has inspired the "Siena" pattern with the sitting deer. 

Example of original Siena artwork on wood
(by  Ambrogio Lorenzetti,  1290-1348)
called "Trittico di Badia a Rofeno" and recently restored. 

Siena is also among the tourist cities in Italy where you can find Deruta ceramics signed "Siena, Italy". In fact the Siena pattern articles in particular come from Deruta, at least most of the production until the 1990s, because in the meantime a few artisans in Siena have opened their own ceramics shops. They specialize in the Siena contrades in particular and they might produce some of the Siena pattern, known there as "Black and white" pattern. The rest of the ceramics in their shops comes from Deruta and from Montelupo Fiorentino, the historical ceramics town of Florence. Montelupo Fiorentino has its own specific style and flavor. Very different from Deruta.

Indeed Siena does not have a ceramics tradition, historically they are famous for their wonderful paintings on wood with gold leaf backgrounds dating back to the Middle Ages. I also remember that there were workshops  in Siena selling reproductions of their art on wood.

Quality ceramics are like a signature. You may recognize them
from the shapes and the style of the patterns. 

A few days ago an American lady, possibly a reader of this blog, wrote to me about a piece that she purchased in Siena in 1993 on her honeymoon. She was asking information about who made her lovers'
cup. She wrote that she loved it! This was so easy for me to answer, because this cup, that a couple could drink from at the same time, was made at my family's workshop, Cama!

The two spouts are handmade straws. The couple can drink
from the cup at the same time. My aunt Antonia was
specialized in attaching handles, spouts and finishing.
She is now retired. On this piece she did the spouts and the
sponging. 

This lovers' cup was handthrown on the wheel by my uncle Luigi in two separate pieces: the cup itself and the stand.

The process of handthrowing is very long. The piece has to dry and afterwards it is trimmed with a special tool, when it is hard enough it can be sponged. The spouts are attached after the trimming. Each piece is tested before the first firing to check if the straws are working. The painting comes as a second step.

This is why it is possible to separate the two steps of the production.

The reason why new ceramicists open their own workshop in tourist cities in Italy is because in the 1990s in Deruta several artisans started a production of raw buisqueware that they distributed outside of Deruta.
This action has contributed to the decline of the tradition of Deruta, in terms of specific denotation of the place of origin. In some ways an example of globalisation.

Why shapes are important? Because for instance Deruta is famous for its round shapes handthrown on the wheel. Shapes from Deruta were originally different from the shapes of Nove, Montelupo Fiorentino, Castelli, Vietri, Santo Stefano di Camastra, some of the ceramics towns in Italy. The clay itself was different.

Likewise I would like to point out that the Amalfi Coast does not have a ceramics tradition in terms of "majolica" in the style of Deruta, the ceramics you find in Ravello are from Deruta, unless they come from Vietri (Salerno Province), whose style is completely different. This is why Ravello is not listed among the ceramics towns in Italy.