 |
| The chameleon, symbol of air in the Renaissance |
A MASCOT IS BORN - IT 'S A GIRL!
If you are visiting Florence you cannot miss the tour of Palazzo Vecchio, home of Cosimo I de' Medici and his wife Eleonora di Toledo in the Piazza Della Signoria.
Cosimo I de' Medici is the proud gentleman on the horse next to this wonderful palace, his palace, nowadays seat of the commune of Florence and Museum.
A unique part of Palazzo Vecchio is the laboratory/curio collection (tr."Studiolo") of Francesco I, son of Cosimo and Eleonora, passionate about alchemy and patron of the arts.
The ceiling of this room are painted and encrusted in wood, like the rest of the space from top to bottom. By lifting up your eyes you will see the whole world represented all around through its founding components: fire, water, earth and air and each of these elements are translated into symbols.
The symbols that attracted me in the "Studiolo" were two of them in particular: fire and air, for specific reasons related to the history of Deruta.
Indeed the symbol of fire was the salamander, which in Greek mythology was considered as resistant to fire.
The symbol of air was the chameleon, changing his skin colors like the rainbow in the air and expression of adaptation and resilience.
One reason is that "The Salamander" (tr. La Salamandra) was a famous factory in the history of ceramics in Italy. It was founded in 1921 in Rome and transferred to Perugia in 1923. The manufacturing closed in 1955. A gem in the history of ceramics.
The "Salamandra" factory was very important to the Deruta tradition for the revolutionary products they created which set the trend in the ceramics market in the world.
If you wish to know more about this factory I recommend the following book, besides visiting the Ceramics Museum of Deruta, where you may admire several ceramics samples by La Salamandra.
"La Salamandra: arte e industria della ceramica a Perugia 1923-1955" by Giulio Busti and Franco Cocchi, Volumnia, 2000 (ISBN 9788885330894).
 |
| The Salamander, symbol of fire in the Renaissance. |
On the other hand in Florence, I was looking for Renaissance elements that were linked to the workshop of my family, Cama, and chameleon ("CAMAleonte" in Italian) includes the word CAMA. The Chameleon can also very well express the resilience, patience and boldness of Cama in these recent years.
To me the chameleon and the salamander are very beautiful, attractive, strong and...artistic animals, the best animals to represent ceramics arts & crafts!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In 1925 'La Salamandra' ceramics factory made its headquarters in Perugia in the deconsecrated Church of "San Francesco delle Donne" (Saint Francis of the Ladies), one of the oldest Franciscan sites dating back to 1212 and continued its activity there until the 1950s.
In the Church of "San Francesco delle Donne", you will find nowadays the workshop of Giuditta Brozzetti, the oldest fabrics workshop in Europe, making traditional products by hand in wooden ancient looms. Visit: The Giuditta Brozzetti website.
-----------------------------------------
Original Posts by Roberta Niccacci -
Original Posts by Roberta Niccacci -
FRIENDS OF CAMA
