20th Century Deco Roman Ceramic Vase with Horses and Flames attributed to Roberto Rosati for the Roman Factory S.I.P.l.A., Rome, Italy, 1920s

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Description

Item description:
a stunning glazed majolica ceramic vase, entirely hand-crafted on a potter's wheel and hand-decorated with stylized horses and … Read more Item description:
a stunning glazed majolica ceramic vase, entirely hand-crafted on a potter's wheel and hand-decorated with stylized horses and flames in full art deco style. Signed under the base with an incised mark and raised letters, which are unfortunately difficult to read, but clearly show the word "roma." in our opinion, the mark belongs to the roman manufacturer "s.i.p.l.a.", and the vase can be attributed to roberto rosati, made in rome around 1920.

useful information for evaluating the object:
in the last photos, we have included one of the sipla marks, engraved in the ceramic mixture. In our opinion, the mark under our vase is exactly the same, except that it was not well made and/or an excessive layer of enamel partially filled the mark itself, making it not very visible. We have also included a photo of a vase that is practically identical to ours, both in terms of decoration and shape, except that instead of horses there are two lions. It was made by roberto rosati when he was working for "la fiamma," but he also collaborated with sipla. Finally, from an internet search, we found that ceramics by roberto rosati and sipla are offered for sale or auctioned at prices ranging from €400-500 to €1,500-2,000, to give an idea of the value of our vase.

final considerations on the object:
the artistic quality of the vase is extremely high. Note how the small squares under the mouth, in black on a light brown background, are all hand-painted with a brush tip, and are in fact slightly different from each other. The stylized deco horses depicted in the central band of the vase are superb, with manes reminiscent of the statues and paintings on ancient greek vases. All this is done in the classic colors of the roman secession, mustard and black. The patina covering the vase is good, especially under the base, perfectly in line with our dating. A rare and important object, a real gem for art lovers and collectors.

information about the artist and/or manufacturer:
the manufacturer "s.i.p.l.a." (società italiana per l'arredamento artistico) was founded by ceramist carlo ciacci in 1919, with headquarters in via del crocifisso 29 in rome. Numerous artists from the rome area collaborated with the manufacturer, which specialized in furnishing accessories and ceramics, including alfredo biagini, mary pandolfi de rinaldis, giovanni prini, renzo cellini, roberto rosati, and giulio rufa. In 1923, the same address as "s.i.p.l.a." became the headquarters of "s.i.c.l.a." (italian cooperative society for artistic works), which brought together a number of ceramists who were veterans of the great war. Under the sicla logo, the factory participated in the first biennale di arti decorative (decorative arts biennial) in monza in 1923. The director of the factory is carlo ciacci, and other collaborators include bassotti (trainer), fernando frigiotti (kiln operator), and artists duilio cambellotti, virgilio carotti, renzo cellini, secondo chiardoli, umberto diano, and aleardo terzi (modellers and decorators). S.i.c.l.a. Ceased operations in the second half of the 1920s.

roberto rosati
roberto rosati was born in rome in 1889. At the age of thirteen, he became a pupil of duilio cambellotti and began to devote himself to ceramics before he was twenty. After obtaining his diploma in ceramics from the royal institute of art for ceramics in faenza, in 1912 he founded, with the financial support of the roman art critic and gallery owner giuseppe sprovieri, an artistic ceramics factory in treia, called "rosati & sprovieri," near civita castellana, in the province of viterbo, which produced futurist-inspired works until 1914. In 1913, his name appeared among those of the external collaborators of "neo falisca ars" in civita castellana. The pieces from this production are marked either with the graphic symbols of a small hand making the sign of the horns or a four-leaf clover (in some cases a three-leaf clover), alongside which appear the author's signature or initials only. In 1914, some of roberto rosati's high-fired ceramics were exhibited at the amatori e cultori d'arte exhibition in rome. On the eve of world war i, giuseppe sprovieri left the company and roberto rosati was called up for military service. At the end of the war, he returned to rome and found work as a medallist at the stabilimento artistico romano, owned by the sinistri family. Shortly afterwards, the owner, cesare antonio civelli, entrusted him with the artistic direction of the "la fiamma" ceramics factory in rome, a position he held until 1924, when ownership passed to ferruccio palazzi. In 1921, he participated in the collective exhibition of artistic ceramics organized by ferruccio palazzi in his exhibition space at piazza venezia 88 in rome, together with duilio cambellotti, achille luciano mauzan, vittorio saltelli, and renzo cellini. In 1923, he exhibited, with the group of roman artists gravitating around the figure of duilio cambellotti, and immediately afterwards began his ongoing collaboration, which lasted for about twelve years, until 1935, as artistic director of the "palazzi" kiln, where, among other things, he created the small sculpture of a fawn that would become the symbol of the factory itself. In 1924, ruggero lanni entrusted him with the artistic direction of the majora ceramics factory in rome. From that same year until 1929, he taught ornamentation, geometric design, and decorative sculpture at the regio istituto nazionale d'istruzione professionale (royal national institute of professional education) in rome. In 1925, giuseppe rodriguez invited him to teach artistic ceramic painting in his workshop and adjoining ceramics school at vicolo s. Maria in cappella 11 in rome. In 1926, he participated in the competition for posters for the film "frate francesco," organized by the "i.c.s.a." (imprese cinematografiche società anonima), ranking second, and in the same year he began teaching geometric design and plastic arts at the "museo artistico industriale di roma." in 1929-30, he taught ornamental design at the giovanni papini institute in rome. During the 1920s and 1930s, he also collaborated sporadically with the galvani ceramics factory in pordenone. In 1933, he was invited to create some illustrations and advertising posters for the fascist colonial institute. In 1934, he founded a ceramics workshop called "la ramazziniana" within the ramazzini sanatorium in rome. From 1935 to 1937, he was principal and professor of design applied to ceramics at the art institute of nove di bassano and finally, from 1937 until the year of his death, he was director of the artistic institute of grottaglie, in the province of taranto, where he also created a museum, with a historical and a modern section, made up of donations from local factories. During these years, he collaborated with the ancient ceramic manufacturer "del monaco" in grottaglie. In 1938-39, he presented some of his works at the trade fair in tripoli, winning a gold medal. Roberto rosati died in rome in 1949.


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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