During the Renaissance portraits were one of the favorite subjects
of Deruta potters, less keen on painting historical scenes
(istoriato) which, on the contrary, were the pride of Gubbio,
Casteldurante, Faenza and Urbino.
Before going through the reasons why Deruta pottery was so
different from other Umbrian ceramics, it’s necessary to take a step
back and focus on the revolutionary impact of the Renaissance on
the contemporary lifestyle.
The central feature of humanism in this period was the commitment
to the idea that the Greek and Roman intellectual achievements
should be taken as a model by contemporary Europeans.
Fine arts revived the Classical values and artistic styles and
developed the use of proportion, perspective and chiaroscuro in
the accurate portrayals of figures and landscapes.
The new geographical discoveries (America!) and the increase of
trade between nations during the early Renaissance created a
new wealthy mercantile class, eager to govern over the rising
urban communes and increasingly demanding luxury goods.
Italian ceramics became the ideal artistic medium of the
Renaissance society. Through pottery the fine art values and the
spirit of the Renaissance entered the houses of the new social
classes. Well crafted, elegantly decorated, Italian Renaissance
ceramics gained the status of an art form. They became a
fashionable item.
Lavishly decorated dishes, apothecary jars, handled vases and
bowls were displayed prominently by citizens from all levels of
society and swiftly traded all over Europe.
Potters closely followed the works of the most popular painters,
more or less freely reinterpreting them in their ceramics.
This was particularly evident in Deruta ceramics, which were deeply
influenced by Perugino and Pinturicchio paintings, both active in
Perugia and having personal relationships in Deruta.
Although their influence on Deruta ceramics was not limited to the
choice of portraits as favourite subjects, it certainly accounts for
the superior quality and distinctiveness of achievements of the
local potters.
Perugino’s skill in depicting the human body and flesh tones, both
in religious paintings and in secular portraits, was extremely
original and explains his first, dazzling success in Rome. He became
the most sought-after painter in Italy, and the most expensive.
Nonetheless, Perugino never abandoned his home turf, and was to
spend much of the rest of his career in Umbria, mostly in Perugia.
His vision and techniques were to nurture the talent of one of his
pupils, Pinturicchio, who rapidly became very famous himself. From
his finely decorated figures glistening with gold, Deruta potters got
the inspiration for their beautiful yellow-gold lustres and the taste
for details in portrait painting.
Please, don’t jump to the conclusion that the relationship between
Deruta potters and Perugino’s and Pinturicchio’s painting was
merely based on a common artistic taste, though. It was also very
practical, indeed.
Deruta and Perugia are very close, so it was very easy for Deruta
potters to get the cartoons of the original frescos and copy them.
It was also very easy to go and see the painters’ works in Perugia
and the surrounding cities. As a matter of fact Perugino’s frescoes
in the Collegio del Cambio in Perugia supplied potters with a huge
number of models for their Deruta pottery (Saints, Ladies,
Warriors…) and so did Pinturicchio’s paintings in Spello.
Last but not least Perugia was also the major trading center in the
region, and it was much easier to sell Deruta pottery which was
sure to meet the local tastes, which were dominated by the “new”
techniques and styles masterfully interpreted by Perugino and his
pupils.
Although sometimes the portraits painted on Deruta ceramics were
very similar to their source of inspirations, they rarely were mere
copies.
Deruta potters were among the best in Italy. They had been
refining their skills generation after generation. Moreover the
protection and encouragement granted by the Baglioni, Lords of
Perugia to Deruta ceramic trade attracted to Deruta many
technically and artistically gifted potters.
Their talent added much to their beautiful models. They also
developed a technique to satisfy the increasing demand for the
most popular subjects without making copies. Using the “spolvero”
technique they could repeat the same basic drawing on their
ceramics, which they personalized and differentiated in the
painting stage.
Worth mentioning is the name of Nicola Francioli a.k.a. Co’ who
worked in Deruta in the first half of the 16th century. His art was
deeply influenced by Perugino’s and Raphael’s works which he
originally reinterpreted in his ceramics.
His works, together with some other masterpieces in portrait
ceramics from the Renaissance are on display at the Museum of
Ceramics in Deruta.
Francioli has been one of the first artists to embody the expressive
independence of ceramics from the finer arts and to turn Deruta
pottery into “One of the purest expressions of Italian Renaissance
culture”, as stated by Laurence Kanter, curator of the Robert
Lehman collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Today, only a few potters in Deruta own the technical skills to
achieve good results in Renaissance style portrait painting. Still,
the tradition is alive.
Tiziana is the co-founder of thatsArte.com, a leading web store of fine Italian Ceramics and the author of a Blog entirely devoted to Italian pottery: how to's, facts, news, events, exhibitions, history & stories, traditions. http://www.thatsarte.com
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