The Collector's Handbook to Keramics of the Renaissance and Modern Periods Part 1

The Collector's Handbook to Keramics of the Renaissance and Modern Periods.

by William Chaffers.

PREFACE

As "THE KERAMIC GALLERY" by the late William Chaffers forms a pictorial supplement to his book "MARKS AND MONOGRAMS ON POTTERY AND PORCELAIN,"

so likewise this work, "HANDBOOK TO KERAMICS," which is an abridged edition of "THE KERAMIC GALLERY," is intended to form a companion volume of ill.u.s.trations to "THE COLLECTOR'S HANDBOOK OF MARKS AND MONOGRAMS ON POTTERY AND PORCELAIN."

Whilst it has been found necessary on account of their size to omit some of the larger ill.u.s.trations, which appear in the second edition of "THE KERAMIC GALLERY," care has been taken to give representations, as far as possible, of each individual kind of pottery and porcelain, which have been produced in the various foreign and English manufactories from the Renaissance period down to the middle of the nineteenth century.

Brief accounts, extracted from the larger volume, of the various manufactories are also given, with a view to help in establis.h.i.+ng the period to which any specimen may belong.

It is hoped that this little work may prove to be of a.s.sistance to the Collector in identifying those specimens of Keramics bearing no marks, which may, from time to time, be brought under his notice.

H. M. C.

HANDBOOK TO KERAMICS

MAIOLICA

ITALY

The painted pottery of Italy, ever since its introduction into that country in the 15th century, has been called by the Italians themselves _Maiolica_. In England it was in the 18th century called _Raphael ware_, on account of an impression which existed that Raphael himself condescended to paint on some of the ware. The idea probably originated from the fact that many designs were reproduced on maiolica by the keramic artists from engravings of Raphael and other great masters. The best period of this pottery was, however, subsequent to his death, which took place in 1520.

The term _maiolica_ appears to be derived or rather corrupted from Maiorca, one of the Balearic Islands, noted for its pottery from a very early period. It was in the 16th century called _Maiorica_, and subsequently _Maiolica_.

URBINO

Urbino was one of the most celebrated of all the Italian _fabriques_, and must have had by far the most trade, although no doubt many of the specimens now attributed to this city were the works of other manufactories; there are, however, a considerable number of signed and dated pieces, and the style and touch of the princ.i.p.al artists engaged there may easily be detected. The best known of all the keramic artists of Urbino was Francesco Xanto Avelli da Rovigo, whose works are now so highly appreciated; he usually painted after the designs and engravings of Raphael and other great masters, but seldom adhered strictly to the grouping of the originals; he also painted subjects from Virgil, Ovid, and other poets. The marks which he placed upon his works consisted of one or more initial letters of his name, F.X.A.R., but usually the X.

only, or sometimes Xanto, with the date. (See Fig. 1.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 1.--PLATEAU. MARRIAGE OF ALEXANDER AND ROXANA.

_After Raphael. Signed and dated_ "XANTO, 1533."]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 2.--PLATEAU, WITH LEDA AND THE SWAN IN CENTRE. _16th Century._]

Another celebrated artist of Urbino, who flourished in the middle of the 16th century, was Orazio Fontana, whose family name was Pellipario; Fontana being a name taken in consequence of several of the family being manufacturers of vases as well as artists.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 3.--PLATEAU. BY ALFONSO PATANAZZI, 1606.]

The family of Patanazzi worked in the early part of the 17th century.

Alfonso Patanazzi signed his pieces of the years 1606 and 1607 in full, as well as Alf. P. and A. P. (See Fig. 3.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 4.--VASE. APOLLO AND DAPHNE. _Circa_ 1580.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 5.--CRUET. _About_ 1570.]

GUBBIO

Gubbio, in the Duchy of Urbino, is known princ.i.p.ally by the works of Maestro Giorgio Andreoli, who seems to have monopolised the secret of the ruby and yellow metallic l.u.s.tre, with which he enriched not only his own productions but put the finis.h.i.+ng touches in l.u.s.tre on the plates of Xanto and other artists from Urbino, as well as from Castel Durante.

There is no doubt that the painting of the piece and the application of the metallic l.u.s.tre colours were two distinct operations, and that it was painted and the colours fixed in the m.u.f.fle kiln some months before it was touched with the l.u.s.tre pigments, and again subjected to another baking. Giorgio was a statuary as well as a painter of maiolica, several of his sculptures in marble being yet extant.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 6.--PLATE. "STREAM OF LIFE." _16th Century. Signed by_ M{O} GIORGIO. Diam. 7-3/4 in.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 7.--VASE. BY M{O} GIORGIO. H. 10-1/2 in. _16th Century._]

Another painter in l.u.s.tre, of the school of M{o} Giorgio, has signed his pieces with the letter N., which is supposed by some to be a monogram of Vincenzio, the son of M{o} Giorgio; and a painter named Perestino, of Gubbio, produced some very beautiful pieces, dated 1533 and 1536.

PESARO

Guido Ubaldo II. della Rovere, who became Duke of Urbino in 1538, was a patron of the _fabrique_ of Pesaro. The maiolica with yellow l.u.s.tre, blue outlines and imbricated borders, which are a.s.signed to Pesaro, belong to the first part of the 16th century; many of these have portraits and scrolls inscribed with the name of the person to whom they were dedicated. When Pa.s.seri visited the town in 1718, there was only one potter, making ordinary vessels. Some years after, in 1757, he sent potters from Urbania and recommenced the manufacture.

According to M. A. Jacquemart, two artists of Lodi--Filippo Antonio Callegari and Antonio Casali--were also established here about the middle of the 18th century. The bowl and cover and dish, Fig. 9, painted and gilt with flowers, are signed by them with their initials. There was another _fabrique_, established by Giuseppe Bertolucci of Urbania in 1757; Pietro Lei, a painter of Sa.s.suolo, was engaged there.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 8.--DRUG VASE. _17th Century._]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 9.--BOWL, COVER, AND DISH. _18th Century._]

CASTEL DURANTE

Castel Durante, a small town near Urbino, had a very extensive manufactory of maiolica; most of its early productions of the beginning of the 15th century are often confounded with those of Urbino, but there is evidence enough to show the beautiful character of the decorations employed there. Piccolpa.s.si, director of a _bottega_ for maiolica, at Castel Durante, _circa_ 1550, wrote a treatise on the art of making and decorating it, whilst under the patronage of Guidobaldo II. The ma.n.u.script is in the Art Library of the Victoria and Albert Museum. This interesting work is ill.u.s.trated with pen-and-ink sketches of all the details of manufacture and patterns of the ware, and the prices at which they were to be obtained; allusions are also made in it to other towns celebrated for the same industry; and the princ.i.p.al forms of the vessels are described by name.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 10.--VASE. _About_ 1560.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 11.--PLATE. _About_ 1530.]

In the year 1635 the name of the _fabrique_ was changed to URBANIA in compliment to Pope Urban VIII.; and in 1722 it was the only one which remained in the Duchy of Urbino, where articles of utility alone were made.

A great trade was carried on in pharmacy vases or Vasi da Spezieria, covered with grotesque heads, cornucopiae, &c., designed and shaded with light blue, touched with yellow, orange, brown and green, the patterns being mostly in a bold style.

FAENZA

If not the most ancient, Faenza was one of the most celebrated of the manufactories of maiolica in Italy. It was this town that gave to the French the name by which they have to the present day distinguished their enamelled pottery, as Spain had previously supplied the name to Italy. Thus in Italy it was called _maiolica_ from Maiorca, and in France, _faence_ from Faenza. The earliest dated piece now extant is probably a plate in the Musee de Cluny, dated 1475, made by Nicolaus de Ragnolis. Another specimen, in the Sevres Museum, is inscribed "Nicolaus Orsini, 1477"; and in the same collection is a plate, signed "Don Giorgio, 1485," probably by Maestro Giorgio.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 12.--PLAQUE. "ANDREA DI BONO, 1491."]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 13.--PLATE. WITH AN EMBLEM OF TWO HEARTS PIERCED WITH ARROWS AND THE MOTTO "EN PIU." _15th Century._]