Ceramics in our territory

1
Ceramics in our territory
Researches Caterina Giuliana Traslation by Anna
Annaloro
2
Classification of the ceramics products

• The term CERAMICS is generally used to indicate
  the clays baked at high temperatures (between
  800 and 1000). The art of ceramics involves the
  production of objects made of clay, shaped by
  hand or machine, and then fired
• THE CLAY is a sedimentary rock formed mainly by
  silicas of hydrated aluminum and can be shaped
  with the addition of water.

3
EARTHENWARE The traditional dough (claywater),
exposed to high temperatures
MAJOLICA The earthenware covered by GLAZE
(mixing metals as lead, tin and silice)
GRES Increasing the firing temperature of the
clay till the production of glazing.
CERAMICS PRODUCTS
POTTERY Adding a certain quantity of calcined
silica in the dough.
The THIRD FIRE decoration is made when they add
to decorations metals that are not resistant to
high temperatures, so that majolica is covered by
colours after baking and is put again for the
third time in the oven at a lower temperature.
PORCELAIN Obtained with the mixture of kaolin, a
white and pure clay.
4
With lining
FAENZA ( tiles and tableware)
Porous
BRICKYARD (bricks, tiles)
Without lining
Colored
REFRATTARY
Not Porous
GRES ( tubes, tiles, electric non conducting)
With lining
CERAMICS PRODUCTS
Porous
With lining
EARTENWARE (tableware and tiles)
With lining
PORCELAIN (tableware, eletcric non conducting)
White
Not Porous
CERMET ( special ceramics)
Without lining
DENTAL PORCELAIN
5
WHAT IS MAJOLICA?

• Majolica is the name applied to ceramics because
  of the glaze used. Majolica begins with a dough
  of fine clay which is shaped but then, after a
  first cooking, it is soaked in a liquid glaze
  containing tin and lead. When the glaze is
  absorbed, the object is decorated using four
  colours formed by metal oxides cobalt
  (blue),manganese (purple), copper (green) and
  antimony (yellow). After the decoration the
  object is baked again, this time at a high
  temperature (about 1000 C). 

6

• The technique of majolica was defined in the
  close Eastern countries and was introduced in
  north-Africa and, then, in Europe, by the
  Arabians.
• The origin of the Sicilian majolica, is tightly
  tied to the advancing art and technological
  progress of the Muslim and Spanish art of
  ceramics

7
The most important museums of ceramics in Italy
LOMBARDIA
VENETO Nove, Bassano del Grappa
EMILIA ROMAGNA Faenza
PIEMONTE Castellamonte
MARCHE Urbania, Pesaro

LIGURIA Albisola Superiore Albisola marina
UMBRIA Deruta, Orvieto, Gubbio, Gualdo Tadino
TOSCANA Montelupo Fiorentino, Lodi, Impruneta
PUGLIA Grottaglie
LAZIO Civita Castellana
CAMPANIAAriano Irpino, Vietri sul Mare, Napoli
, Cerreto Sannita, San Lorenzello
SARDEGNA Assemini, Oristano
CALABRIA Squillace


SICILIA Caltagirone, Santo Stefano di Camastra,
Sciacca, Burgio

8
Ceramics glazed dish decorated with a peacock
and vegetal patterns. 16th century. Faenza,
Internazional Museum of Ceramics.
Majolica polychromium dish with a city landscape.
Production Urbino, 16th Century. Arezzo, State
Museum of Meioeval Art
9
Majolica polychromium plate with allogorical
design surrounded by dots and animals.
Production, Urbino, 16th Century. Firenze,
Nazional Museum in Bargello.
Big jug in majolica polychromium decorated with
plastic patterns and vegetal decorations which
recall the Medicu familys coat of arms. 16th
Century. Firenze, collection cora.
10
The most important historical centres of ceramics
in Sicily
PALERMO
COLLESANO
SANTO STEFANO DI CAMASTRA
NASO
PATTI
TRAPANI
SIRACUSA
SCIACCA
CALTAGIRONE
AGRIGENTO
BURGIO
11
The Sicilian Ceramics? Lets learn to know it!
The origin of ceramics is much discussed. It is
practically impossible to ascertain the
authorship. In Sicily, cradle of the
Mediterranean area, ceramics appears for the
first time around 6,000 B.C.

12

• Between the 3rd and 2nd millennium B.C. the
  people of Bicchiere Campaniforme (central-Europe
  origin), settled and mixed their knowledge with
  the local cultures.
• It is in this era, relative to the Sicilian
  bronze age, the civilization of Castelluccio (
  near Noto) began.

Cup on foot of the 3rd 2nd millennium B.C.
(Bronze Age), discovered in Naro (AG).
Archeological Musem in Palermo
13

• Greeks settled in Sicily during the 8th Century
  B.C., taking innovation and improving the
  techniques used previously in Sicily. This
  progress resulted in the establishment of the
  first ceramics schools, considered the best in
  the Mediterranean throughout the 4th Century B.
  C. An example of the classical style developed by
  the siceliota schools is the crater, bell shaped,
  portraying a seller of tuna (Museum Mandralisca -
  Cefalù).

Crater, bell shaped, production siceliota.
Lipari, half 4th Century B.C.Museum Mandralisca
in Cefalù
14

• From the 3rd Century, until the arrival of the
  Romans, the ceramics from Lipari dominated. Now
  days relief ceramics with geometric decoration
  is preferred.
• The African production influenced the Sicilian
  products from the 1st Century A. D.

Crater decorated and drawn with geometric e
zoomorphic patterns. Necropolis fusco, Sycacuse,
700-645 B. C. Syracuse Archeological Regional
Museum Paolo Orsi.
15

• Sicilian ceramics of the 11th, 12th, 13th and
  14th Centuries

16

• The Arabians landed in Sicily in the 9th
  Century.
• Their civilization has always been adept at
  assimilating the techniques and the cultural
  patterns that they were learning. The Arabian
  ceramists, indeed, recovered the technique of the
  glazed ceramics developed by the Mediterranean
  people. The technique of lead glazing (
  originally from Asia) gave the objects, besides
  impermeability, an elegance of colour and the
  brightness.

17

• Making the lead glaze transparent was a
  technique already known to the Roman and
  Byzantine potters. Before glazing, they would
  coat the biscuit with a white earth called
  engobe on this surface a graffito or a
  decoration was painted. Ceramics for the table
  were decorated with bright polychrome, (brown,
  green and yellow), and with vegetal, geometric
  patterns and with animals.
• The proto majolica, a unique style of the 8th
  Century A. D., is prevalent and it will be
  appreciated by the following dominators The
  Angevins.

18

• The Arabian technique of the stanniferous glaze
  spread throughout Italy where it reached its
  peak development in the 15th Century. The tin
  oxide added to the lead glaze gives to the
  ceramic piece a white opaque colour , in reaction
  to the lead varnish and engobe.

19
During the period between the 10th and 13th
centuries, the dominant stiles were DECORATIONS
linear, geometric, calligraphic COLOURS
Manganese (brown) Greenish copper Yellowish
iron
20

• PRINCIPAL CHARATTERISTICS
• Ogival small archs
• Patterns created by circles, knots and panels
  like big eyes
• Charatteristic peacocks, fish and stylized leaves
  typical of the weave
• Plait patterns
• Stylization of the palm trunk
• Concentric semicircles
• Scaly decoration

21
Glazed bowl or basin with trichromium painted
decoration portaying a female peacock. From
Syracuse, 11th Century. Caltagirone, Museum of
Ceramics.
22
Glazed bowl with carved decoration. From furnaces
in S.Lucia (Agrigento), 12th Century.
Caltagirone, Museum of Ceramics.
Glazed basin with bichromium decoration,
portraying an imaginary animal. From Agrigento,
end of 11th Century. Caltagirone, Museum of
Ceramics.
23
Big basin of the XIII century. From western
Sicily. It is decorated also outside in the usual
colours green, yellow and manganese.
24
Basin in protomajolica of the XIII century with
polychromium decoration. Regional Ceramics
Museum in Caltagirone
Bowl in protomajolica with trichromium painted
decoration and round decoration and network
leaves. From Syracuse, XIII century. Regional
Ceramics Museum in Caltagirone
25
Part of a lantern in protomajolica portraying
inside a heraldy device. From Gela, XIII
century. Caltagirone, Museum of Ceramics.
Basin in protomajolica with green and brown
decoration portraying a fish. From Gela, XIII
century. Caltagirone, Museum of Ceramics.
26
Basins in protomajolica with monochromium
decoration (Caltagirone XIV century).