Antique Italian Ceramic Plate with Noble Coat of Arms from Montelupo Manufacture, 1700s

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Description

Description of the object:
Glazed and vitrified ceramic plate, fired at high temperature, entirely decorated by hand. The rim depicts … Read more Description of the object:
Glazed and vitrified ceramic plate, fired at high temperature, entirely decorated by hand. The rim depicts the noble coat of arms of a family with a crowned heraldic shield and an animal and other symbols inside, while the edge features geometric friezes with stylized flowers. The plate can be dated between the late 1700s and the early decades of the 1800s, and the evident patina, especially on the back, is perfectly in line with our dating. The object is unsigned, but can easily be attributed to the Montelupo Fiorentino factory, which produced plates very similar to this one in its artistic production.

Information about the artist and/or manufacturer:
Montelupo majolica was an important type of Italian ceramic produced in Montelupo Fiorentino, near Florence, starting in the late Middle Ages, with a notable flourishing during the Renaissance and in the modern era of the 17th and 18th centuries. Active as a center of ceramic production since the end of the 13th century, it began producing Spanish-Moorish-inspired majolica (blue motifs and predominantly green decoration) in the 15th century. Intended almost exclusively for export, Montelupo ceramics could count on more than 50 kilns at the end of the 15th century. The level of production was such that an edict by the podestà prohibited the disposal of the enormous quantities of waste and processing residues in the adjacent Pesa River, in order to prevent the flow from being diverted. The primary market for Montelupo's production was Florence, but its proximity to the ports of Pisa and, later, Livorno, facilitated its sale in all the European markets visited by Tuscan merchants. Montelupo's manufacturing industry is considered one of the oldest and most important Italian manufacturing industries in the world, and its production of artistic ceramics continued until the 20th century.


This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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