November 25th: Feast of Saint Catherine of Alexandria

Saint Catherine of Alexandria
by Raphael.

The feast of Saint Catherine of Alexandria is celebrated every year in Deruta on the 25th of November. All the workshops are closed for the holiday. It is the most important day of the year for the artists in Deruta because Saint Catherine is the Saint Patron of ceramicists.

As you may notice from this painting by Raffaello the Saint is leaning on a wheel, the tool by which she was tortured. The wheel is what distinguishes Deruta, where round pieces like bowls, cups, pitchers, vases, anything in the round shape are handthrown on the wheel.

Saint Catherine of Alexandria was also a very popular Saint in the Renaissance. She was considered as a very educated, wise and refined woman of noble origins. She was also considered as an ideal woman to marry.

But the only marriage we know of is the spiritual marriage with Christ. A beautiful painting by the artist Parmigianino depicts Saint Catherine receiving the wedding ring from Jesus in the arms of the Virgin Mary.

Saint Catherine was born in the 3rd Century A.D. and she is venerated in several fields of the arts and crafts.

A curiosity: this year the celebration of Saint Catherine takes place on the same day of Thanksgiving in the United States. November 25th falls on a Thursday!

Saint Catherine of Alexandria by
Francesco Mazzola known as "Parmigianino". 

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Original Posts by Roberta Niccacci -

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August 10th: Feast of Saint Lawrence

Saint Lawrence is a very important Saint to the city of Perugia. The Cathedral of Perugia is dedicated to this Saint who died as a martyr in the 3rd Century A.D.

Saint Lawrence e is also important to us: our founder at Cama, Mr. Pompeo Niccacci was born on this date in the second half of the 19th century. In the night of this date we look for falling stars and we think of our great grand father.

Deruta ceramics history: A Visit to the tomb of "Il Perugino"

Photo credit: Perugino, the last supper (detail),
1495, Cenacolo del Fuligno, Florence.

Some days ago I went to the town of Fontignano (Perugia district) on the way to Città della Pieve with the purpose of visiting the tomb of famous artist Pietro Vannucci known as "Il Perugino".

Pietro Vannucci spent the last decade of his life in the small town of Fontignano where he died of plague at the age of 78 in 1523. His last work of art was a Madonna with Child in the small Church where he is buried.

During working days volunteers will come and open the Church for you upon calling them on their cellular phone. They will give you a brief lecture and interesting information about the artist's life and work in Fontignano. This was such a treat! I loved it.

The fresco by Pietro Vannucci
aka "Il Perugino" dated 1477/1478 for the
Church of Saint Francis, Deruta.
A thank you gift to the Church for the end of the plagues,
called "ex-voto" in Latin. 

Additionally tomorrow Fontignano will start the celebrations of the festival "Fontignano at the table 2010" from July 16th to July 25th: great traditional recipes from the Renaissance, lots of people, music, dancing and fun!

At the time of Perugino the town of Deruta was a circle of very important persons, artists and politicians.  Perugino worked in Deruta on a beautiful fresco with the Saints Rocco and Romano, anti-pestiferous Saints at the time of the plagues. I can imagine Mr. Pietro Vannucci riding his horse from Città della Pieve to Deruta and visiting our beautiful town. Deruta is about 1 hour away by car from Città della Pieve.

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A Pilgrimage to the Temple of Fortune

A couple of hours from Deruta on the Adriatic see there is a Roman town called "Fano" (established 207 b.C.).

The meaning of the word comes from "Fanum Fortunae", temple of fortune in Latin. Indeed the town was at the end of the famous Roman road called "Flaminia".

From Fano on travellers were in the hands of the Fortune because they would face the open sea. Many Roman monuments and buildings withstand the passing of time in Fano, such as the arch of Emperor August. Walking in the streets of Fano is very nice and breathing the breeze coming from the sea is very healthy.

As a tradition Fano is the preferred seaside of the people from our region, Umbria, maybe because this town has old Umbrian origins. The Umbrians were a population of Italic origin that settled in central Italy in the Second Millennium b.C.

In the beginning their properties went from the River Tiber Valley to the Adriatic sea, Tuscany, Romagna and the Padana Valley. Then the Etruscans limited the territory of the Umbrians to the East valley of the River Tiber.

We are proud to be Umbrians in Deruta. Umbria is our region.

Photo: Rare example of the Umbrian language - discovered in the 15th century Re: Tabulae Iguvinae (3rd-1st century b.C.).

May 22: Feast of Saint Rita of Cascia

May 22nd is the day celebrating St. Rita of Cascia.

(1386-1456). She is considered as the "Santa degli impossibili" (The Saint of the Impossible).

When we have a problem that cannot be solved in any way we pray St.Rita.

The sacred flower of St. Rita is the rose.

In the town of Deruta until recent years on this day we used to set up cars with red roses from our gardens and leave the main Church uptown in a long line of cars. On top of the line a small truck with our priest and the plaster statue of St. Rita.

In the past families were very devoted to their Saints. As a tradition there are red roses in many gardens in Deruta to celebrate this event.

The religious procession passed through the main streets of Deruta and went back to the St. Francis Church. The Statue of the Saint is permanently part of the Church in Deruta.

St.Rita is a very popular Saint in Italy.

Italian Saying: "La processione da dove esce rientra" (tr. the procession always goes back to where it started" - moral: What you do you receive back).

Text in English: Fr. Alban Butler, Lives of the Saints, Tan B. and P., Inc. 1995 with Imprimatur

Deruta patterns: The Singing Rooster

Giuliano de' Medici was awakened by a rooster

and for one time could escape murder.

At CAMA DERUTA one of the traditional patterns was the green rooster. We have always wondered about its origins, especially if we think of pitchers shaped as roosters.

The story we hear in the States is that Giuliano de' Medici from Florence in the Renaissance period was awakened by a rooster and therefore he could escape being murdered.

The story is probably true because Giuliano de' Medici went under several attempts of murder in the city of Florence as well as in the countryside, where he had been hiding from enemies.


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Giuliano de' Medici was the brother of the famous Lorenzo de' Medici and he was only sixteen when their father Piero died.

Indeed the two brothers took over the power in the city of Florence right after their father's death and opponent parties tried to kill them several times.

In 1478  the "Pazzi" family conspired against Giuliano and Lorenzo in repeated attempts to eradicate their power. On one of these occasions, Giuliano was murdered in the Cathedral of Florence, and his brother Lorenzo was left wounded. Giuliano was only 25 years old when he died.

Coat of arms of Giuliano de'
Medici's family. 

The reaction of the city of Florence was unexpected towards conspirators. The population of Florence got furious and attacked the Pazzi family's members as well as their accomplices with heavy consequences. As a result, the Medici family remained in power. 

However, with the death of Giuliano de' Medici, the flourishing Renaissance world of arts lost one of his most passionate and youngest partons. 

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If we think of Greek mythology , the rooster is the sacred symbol of Mercury and we feel this adds meaning to our curiosity: Rooster=green= good luck. Green is also the color of Venus, it means beauty.

The singing rooster can be found on vintage Deruta plates with a note of the pentagram ("DO di petto= C in English). Color variations of the rooster pattern are red and blue. But green is still the predominant color. 

This pattern is also known as the "Orvieto" pattern because it is dedicated to the town of Orvieto, where there is a ceramics tradition producing a distinctive green leaves pattern. Deruta artists added the rooster to the original Orvieto leaves pattern in the 1920s, a very fertile revival period of Deruta ceramics. The Green Rooster pattern is the most medieval of all Deruta patterns because it carries fewer colors than the Renaissance traditional patterns, namely Ricco Deruta and Raffaellesco. 

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The Cama rooster pattern is the best! It is painted by my father Renato who has learned from the great artists of Deruta. The rooster is lively just like my father's personality. There is lots of love in it! Renato Niccacci is also the artist of Arabesco Verde and Siena black and white designs.

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Happy Mother's Day!

May 9, 2010

Happy Mother's Day to all our readers.

"Madonna teaching the Holy Child to read" by Italian Artist Pintoricchio, Perugia 1452-Siena 1513.

Beautiful Renaissance work of art! Deruta took inspiration from Pintoricchio, local artist born in Perugia. He died in Siena where he left a wonderful example of his art in the Cathedral of Siena, the "Libreria Piccolomini" that he painted in 1505. The Library has been preserved in its integrity until the present times. It is breathtaking. It is worth the visit.

(photo credit: Philadelphia Museum of Art, John J. Johnson Collection)

May 5th, 2010: Foundation of Friends of Cama

(Mercury, a detail from the "Primavera" by Italian artist Sandro Botticelli - 1445-1510)

A large number of our friends and customers in the United States have created a fan club in California called "Friends of Cama" through which they are assisting CAMA in the transition time to innovative business solutions.

Friends of Cama are organizing a special event for Cama in the Fall to celebrate a new future together.

In mythology, the month of May stands under the protection of Mercury, the god of business, the perfect month for the creation of a new business vision for Cama Deruta. Mercury's sacred animal is the fortunate rooster.

At Cama we would like to send our sincere thanks to all our customers for their loyalty and support throughout the years.

Follow the Cama happy ending story on the facebook page and twitter ! We would be happy to welcome you as a new Friend of Cama. Join us with just a click.


Cama Deruta, a business that goes beyond business.

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- Original Posts by Roberta Niccacci -

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Deruta Workshop tours: a Cama tradition.

CAMA DERUTA is proud to be famous for her workshop tours.

There are reservations until the month of October 2010.

Returning customers, friends and new customers visiting Italy from America and driving to Deruta to visit us!

We want the artists back to their benches as soon as possible. Rooms look empty without the artisans at work.

We want the tours to be a treating experience as always!

(from the Cama files: Mr. Nazzareno Niccacci giving a tour to Mr. Giulio Andreotti and representatives of the Italian Government visting C.A.M.A. early 1960s. Nazzareno is the first man on the right corner).

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For your workshop tours to Deruta visit: www.borgoderuta.wordpress.com. We will be happy to take you to the  workshop, studio or artist  you are looking for. Personable services. 

Easy shopping for CAMA DERUTA customers!

Our next step is going to be our online store shipping directly from the United States.

If you have any specific request about the website, please contact us. We will be happy to make you happy.

These virtual tools are at your disposal for your best usage. Therefore they are meant to be made thinking of you.

Please help us make your shopping experience easy for you!

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
The Cama online store is by the Borgoderuta team, Italian talents for a genuine cultural exchange with the United States. The team has started the research by going back to the original Cama logo of the 1950s. 

Deruta art history: A handsome artist from the Renaissance

What a handsome and interesting man from the Renaissance, the artist Bernardino di Betto, known as "Pintoricchio" ( 1452-1513)!In this picture his self-portrait that you may visit in the town of Spello, Church of Santa Maria Maggiore.


Pintoricchio has inspired the art of Deruta and his influence in the ceramics art of the town is still vivid nowadays. He is the artist of the details, of small things, of the intricacy of the patterns and of the beauty of life. 

One of the best expressions of his art is the  "Piccolomini Library" in the Cathedral of Siena. The inside walls of the Library are fully painted with a pictorial cycle which is flawless and remained intact from the Renaissance times. A feast for the eyes! 

Happy Saint Valentine's day to all our assistants at Cama Deruta

Like in the best Deruta tradition our artists at Cama Deruta are all women. In Deruta women were educated to painting borders and patterns, the kind of meticulous and precise work men usually declined. As a matter of fact the tradition of painting patterns has been passed on from mother to daughter. Men are more into portraits or free hand patterns. Traditional patterns in Deruta rely on the use of tracing papers, an antique tradition that goes back to Michelangelo. Nowadays in the Cama painting room we have a total of eight artists. The only painter was Franco who retired some years ago. Happy Saint Valentine to all the ladies at Cama!

Welcome back, Roberta!

A NOTE FROM ROBERTA NICCACCI

Dear Friends and Customers,

I am back at my family's workshop full time after about ten years of absence. I am thrilled to start this experience again. I am more enthusiastic than ever.

I would like to share the experience of selling Cama ceramics in your country first hand. I would like to treasure the art of Cama as a family and friends experience.

Love,

Roberta

photo: Roberta & Andrea Niccacci at Cama Deruta.

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Be part of the famous workshop tours history at Cama Deruta

CAMA DERUTA

The Workshop tours

info@camaderuta.com

Contents

Introduction

II. The making of Majolica
II.1. “Creazione”: from greenware to bisqueware
II.2. “Pittura”: from grazing to the finished piece
III. Shopping

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Welcome to Cama Deruta!

Before starting the tour we would like to give you general information about Deruta ceramics and a short history of our workshop.
The ceramics made in Deruta are known as majolica: porous earthenware, glazed, hand-painted and fired twice. The raw clay comes from our region: Umbria. Paints are mineral powders mixed with water and based on secret recipes.
The ceramics techniques we use in Deruta today take inspiration from the Renaissance as well as the classical patterns that Cama Deruta specializes in.
Deruta ceramic makers have their Saint Patron – Saint Catherine of Alexandria celebrated every year on November 25th . On this day all workshops are closed.

At Cama Deruta we have been making ceramics for several generations.

The workshop was established in the last century by the Niccacci family along with partners. In fact Cama was originally the acronym for “Cooperativa Artigiana Maioliche Artistiche”. In 1971 Renato and Elena Niccacci took over the business. They are both talented artists.

Later on in 1988 their children Andrea and Roberta decided to help their parents in the workshop full time.

In 2010 the Cama Deruta workshop counts on the four of the family and 8 assistants.

We specialize in dinnerware and accessories also available online at the address www.camaderuta.com

At Cama Deruta we still make everything in the workshop from start to end, which allows us to have an eye on the quality through the whole process and…enjoy a fascinating tour with you!

The making of Majolica

II.1. “Creazione”: from greenware to bisqueware

The long and meticulous process of making ceramics takes place all in the Cama Deruta building on Via Tiberina, 113.

The visit starts from the so called “Creazione” (=sculpting section) which involves a vast area of the ground floor. The room is well lighted and comfortable.

The source is a raw clay that we find locally in the Umbria region at the border with Tuscany. With the help of tools, plaster moulds and the famous wheel our assistants transform lumps of clay into finished pieces.

Depending on the shape of the finished pieces there are three ways to sculpt the raw clay:
Round pieces (mugs, bowls, pitchers) are made by hand-throwing on the wheel;
Oval and/or flat shapes (oval bowls, scalloped plates, crescents) and made by hand-pressing on a plaster mould;
ornate pieces (crested rooster pitchers, indented candleholders, heart boxes) are made by hand-pouring.

Aside from any of the above sculpting methods, all the formed pieces are known as “greenware” (state where pieces are not dry enough for the first firing).

Only when part of the moisture has evaporated from the clay it is possible to trim the pieces, attach handles and spouts.

As a final touch the piece is carefully refined by the help of a sponge and set aside to dry completely.

From start to end it usually takes from 7 to 10 days for one piece to dry, strictly at room temperature.

The dry pieces are ready for the first firing, whose temperatures relatively high: 1100° Centigrade (about 2000° Fahrenheit).
It is only at this point that the pieces may be referred as “bisqueware”.

The making of Majolica

II.2. “Pittura”: from glazing to the finished piece

On the second floor of the workshop you will meet Elena Niccacci and her assistants painting in separate and tidy tables scattered in a well-lighted area.

Part of the painting section are also a retain room filled with finished samples for duplication purposes and a stock room filled of bisqueware ready to be painted.

The painting process starts with the glazing: each piece of bisqueware is dipped by hand by the help of specific tools into large containers of white glazes.

White glazes have a practical function: preventing the porosity of the clay to absorb the water-based colors used for the painting.

Handpainting is the next step. The selected pattern/design is applied to the white pieces by the help of tracing papers (the same technique originally used by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel) as a major requirement.

Tracing papers are perforated thin sheets of paper: by the use of pouncing bags the artist transfers enough quantities of charcoal to leave an outline trace of the pattern/design.

Skilled artists outline the charcoal traces of the pattern/design with the finest brushes.

For the final part of the handpainting, filling-in colors, the retain room provides finished samples as a reference for the final color results.

The final step of the painting process is the spraying of the clear glaze for the brillance/glossy of the finished piece.

At this point each piece is carefully stack in the kilns for the second and final firing. Fire changes the pastel shades of the water-based paints into the vibrant colors that Deruta is famous for. The finished piece is called “Bello” .

III. Shopping

Visiting a workshop is a treating experience. We hope the tour will give you a greater appreciation of handthrown and handpainted ceramics and the work that goes into our handcrafted finished products. We invite visitors to browse through the workshop store and we hope they will find some pieces that are going to be perfect for their home and for gifts. We can ship purchases by air and that way travellers won’t have to carry extra boxes during the rest of their travel.

Acknowledgments

This brochure is dedicated to all our customers, customers’ friends, friends of friends, students and Cama Deruta fans who have been visiting our workshop from the very beginning. We would like to thank everyone for their enthusiastic encouragement, for appreciating our work and for trusting us. Thank you for keeping alive the word of mouth.

Heartfelt thanks to our assistants and relatives who are currently working at Cama and made this experience possible.

It has been a pleasure to explain the making of ceramics. And we hope we have piqued your interest so that you will want to have some of the Cama Deruta pieces at home. Thank you!


Workshop tours are free and upon appointment. For availability information send an email to: info@camaderuta.com Thank you!

This blog is dedicated to all our friends, Cama Deruta fans and ceramics collectors

This blog is dedicated especially to all our friends and customers who have been keeping in touch with us for many years.

We miss seeing you here in Deruta, therefore our next step is to come to the States and serve you there. You deserve this service and please kindly accept it as a mutual exchange of affection. We feel that at Cama we have a mission to serve our customers directly.

The quality of Cama Deruta is undisputed but it is not the only thing that matters for us. Selling ceramics for us means more than this. We have found many friends on our way and this will be our starting point of rebirth or of Renaissance if we think of our ceramics!

Thank you for your support by selecting CAMA DERUTA as your premium majolica resource for gift-giving, celebrations, dinnerware parties and your joy of entertaining.

(photo credit: the town of Deruta, Italy)

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