Since
the most far-off times, the territory between the course
of the upper and middle Tiber and that of its
tributaries the Chiascio and the Paglia was settled by
communities whose terracotta artefacts, moulded with the
clays that are sedimented in the soil of this area,
constitute important documents and evolutional proofs,
all the way up to the Umbrians and the Etruscans.
For the most part the latter developed, for covers and
decorations in places of worship or for ornaments for
everyday use, a refined a varied productive and artistic
skill that lies at the base of a tradition that has not
been interrupted down the centuries.
The production of terracotta, however, is documented
from the 13th century and the use of this material,
since the earliest times, testifies to the true vocation
of the Umbrian people for its manufacture.
Further proof
is supplied by the presence of kilns, which were
widespread until the early 20th century and some of
which are still active, where the simple production of glazed terracotta wares (Ripabianca and Ficulle),
intended for embellishing 18th-century cupboards and
tables, alternated with the more refined production of decorated maiolica artefacts. Despite the
deep-seated and widespread tradition of terracotta
manufacture, the transformations brought about by the
coming of the industrial age led to the disappearance of
many workshops and the closure of many kilns in the
Umbria region.
What
is certain is that it was on this manufacture that the
foundations were laid for an artisan culture that, in
its turn, sustained the greatest expressions of the ceramic art.
Suffice it to think of the brilliance
of bucchero, of the Renaissance 'grotesques',
of the magical reflections of lustre, of the
innovative shapes of modern ceramics and of the
production of ceramics for the building industry and for
tiles.
A vast range of products that speak of Umbria to
the whole world and that combine perfectly with the
charm of the region’s country houses, the palazzos in
its historic centers and its cottages, or which become
containers of other outstanding Umbrian products such as
oil and wine or of authentic and delicious typical
regional foodstuffs.
In Umbria this art has been
considerably developed in numerous, important towns,
such as Deruta, Perugia, Gubbio, Gualdo Tadino, Orvieto,
etc., and finds continuity in a handicraft that never
ceases to research, document and safeguard its original
characteristics in order to enhance the quality and
specificity of the present-day production of each
locality.
Some recommended itineraries:
a) San Giustino, Citta' di Castello, Umbertine, Gubbio, Gualdo Tadino, Nocera Umbra
b) Perugia, Cordiano, Deruta – Ripabianca, Montefalco, Marsciano - Campignano
c) Otricoli – Calvi dell’Umbria, Orvieto, Castel Viscardo, Ficulle, Citta' della Pieve, Castiglione del Lago
Some manufacturing techniques…
The lustre tradition Metallic lustre is an iridescence that, according
to the traditional technique, is obtained by applying a
paste containing metal salts on the surface of an
already fired and decorated ceramic artifact, which is
fired a further time in a special chamber in the kiln,
known as the “muffle kiln”, in an atmosphere
without any oxygen, with the aim of transforming the
metal salts into pure metals. The particles are
incorporated into the glaze, which has been softened by
the heat, thus producing the iridescent effect typical
of lustre.
There are various techniques for producing this type
of decoration: paste lustre, acid and in-glaze lustre,
lustre through volatilisation and resinate lustre.
The metallic reflection, on the other hand, is a
type of decoration that consists of a thin deposit of
precious metals, generally gold and platinum.
A
brief history
The history of lustre or
“reverberation” was and still is one of the most
fascinating and mysterious techniques in the ceramic
tradition. This technique probably originated in the 9th
century and developed simultaneously in Persia and in
Mesopotamia.
It spread throughout North Africa and Spain with the
Islamic conquest and reached Italy in 1500 via various
Italian merchants who imported Spanish lustreware
through the port of Majorca. And it is from this
place-name, Majorca, that the term maiolica derives. Several contemporary Italian ceramicists
immediately adopted this new technique, including Master Giorgio of Gubbio. After the final splendors
of the 17th century, this production disappeared and
only in 1873 was it revived by the ceramist Paolo
Bubboli from Pescara, who, together with his wife
started to manufacture high-quality lustreware in Gualdo
Tadino.
Bucchero
Bucchero is a type of shiny black ceramic made by using
a very fine clay that is rich in iron oxide. Once the
desired object has been created, it is fired in a kiln
in an atmosphere without oxygen to allow those chemical
transformations to take place that are responsible for
the black color of the artefact.
After shaping and drying, the object is polished with
sandpaper and iron wool before being burnished, that is
to say the artefact is polished with box-wood sticks.
Sometimes the surface is also decorated with carvings,
made with a metal point, embellished with gold and
platinum applied with a paintbrush.
When this is all
completed, the artefact is immersed in wood coal, fired
in special kilns at a temperature higher than 900°C and
becomes black, whilst the chemical solvent of the
decorations evaporates and allows the noble metal to
regain its natural color.
In 1928 Polidoro Benvenuti introduced
Gubbio-style bucchero, in imitation of Etruscan
bucchero. Courtesy of Umbria 2000
