Bas-Relief Plaque in Biscuit Porcelain by Dante Baldelli, 1920s

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Item description:
wonderful biscuit porcelain plaque worked in bas-relief, entirely decorated by hand, with a pure gold finish around the … Read more Item description:
wonderful biscuit porcelain plaque worked in bas-relief, entirely decorated by hand, with a pure gold finish around the edge, depicting the madonna breastfeeding the baby jesus, an iconography known as "la madonna del latte" (our lady of milk), signed "baldelli" on the back and with the place of production "città di castello." made by dante baldelli's workshop in the first half of the 20th century.

useful information for evaluating the item:
a quick online search revealed that the four highest auction results for dante baldelli ceramics range from €3,600 to €6,000, to which auction fees of 25-30% must be added. We then found a variety of ceramics: plaques, wall masks, sculptures, vases, and more, all offered at very high prices ranging from a minimum of €500-600 for simpler works to a maximum of several thousand euros for larger and more complex works.

final considerations on the object:
depictions of the madonna breastfeeding the baby jesus are extremely rare and truly unique. This iconography represents the madonna del latte, which dates back to the 1400s and was highly venerated and important. It has been depicted in several paintings, the first of which is in the tabernacle of the church of san lorenzo in castelbonzi and dates back to 1400, created by the master of signa. It should be noted that the madonna del latte was depicted in many different ways, but this madonna by baldelli closely resembles that of the maestro di signa. In fact, in most paintings of the madonna del latte, the baby is on the left, in ours he is on the right as in the painting by the master of signa, as is the small breast, which barely protrudes from the tunic, as in the painting. The face and dress of the madonna are also similar, so baldelli was certainly inspired by the 1400 painting by the master of signa when he created this plaque.

information about the artist and/or manufacturer:
dante baldelli, grandson of settimio rometti and cousin of aspromonte rometti, founders of the "rometti" factory in umbertide, dante baldelli, son of stamura rometti, was born in città di castello in 1904. He began his artistic studies in perugia, later moving to rome where he attended the royal academy of fine arts, studying under the sculptors luppi and canonica. In 1928, he took on the role of artistic director of the family's ceramic factory, a position he shared, after a few months, with corrado cagli, whom he had met in rome while studying at the academy of fine arts. In 1930, he exhibited a plate entitled "autobiografia" at the first exhibition of fine arts students in perugia. In 1931, he exhibited sculptures and majolica works in an exhibition promoted by the g.u.f. (guardia universitaria fascista) in perugia, and in september of the same year, he presented a plaster sculpture entitled "testa di marianella" (head of marianella) at the exhibition of the sindacato artisti dell'umbria (union of artists of umbria). Also in 1931, one of his black graffito plates depicting archers was exhibited at the v triennale in milan. In 1932, he held a solo exhibition in città di castello where, along with paintings, sculptures, and drawings, he exhibited 29 majolica pieces, including plates and vases. In 1934, he created a poster for the 19th venice biennale and another for the world cup. Dante baldelli collaborated with the "rometti" factory until 1942, when the factory was forced to close due to the war. After the war, he worked in his own ceramics workshop, called baldelli ceramiche, located in piazza gioberti 1 in città di castello, in the province of perugia, assisted by his son massimo. Dante baldelli died in città di castello in 1953.


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