Tracing papers used in Deruta majolicas are what cardboards meant to Renaissance artists. Examples of cardboard usages come from Umbrian artist Perugino in particular but also from Pinturicchio, Raffaello and Michelangelo.
Cardboards and tracing papers are indispensable tools for the reproduction of scenes and characters both in frescoes, paintings and ceramics. Such usage of cardboards may be admired in the frescoes by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel. Close-up photos were taken during its latest restoration (2000), showing the cardboard dots allowing the charcoal to go through the drawing's perimeter and leaving an imprint on the fresco's preparing surface.
This premise is meant to tell you about the common use of tracing papers and cardboards by flipping them to recreate a corresponding character on the right and the left of the painting, such as a knight, an angel, a man, a woman and so on. By doing this, the artist could save time and keep the work going by producing more products and delivering them faster.
Yesterday I ran into an example coming from Deruta of such a flipped tracing paper usage: the same tracing paper was used for two different plaques (see below). You can tell it is the same San Francis image that is flipped on its right and left version. The same thing happened to the house located on the back of the saint with small differences.
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| Photo credit: Claudio Ricci |
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| Photo credit: Roberta Niccacci |
The plaque with Saint Francis on the left comes from the "Madonna del Bagno" sanctuary, located not far from Deruta. It's a votive plaque created to celebrate Saint Francis death's 7th centennial (1226-1926); the one with Saint Francis on the right is part of an aedicule dedicated to Saint Francis on the way to downtown Deruta. The smoke you see comes from the furnaces operated by wood and located downtown Deruta within the castle walls. It's not a fire but an example of wealth and abundance for the city.
My question is: do you think the ceramic artist is the same for both pieces above?
If you wish to detect such a flipped technique in Perugino, Pinturicchio Raffaello or Michelangelo, simply take a painting whose structure has mirroring characters. Most of them were painted by flipping cardboards.
I hope you enjoyed my post. Follow my revival journey with Cama on this blog. See you again when Renaissance inspiration meets me again!
