20th Century Art Deco Ceramic Service Depicting the Novel Don Quixote of La Mancha by Bruno Baratti, Pesaro, Italy, 1940s, Set of 13

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MEASUREMENTS:
Teapot: Height: 10 cm; Width: 27.5 cm; Depth: 18 cm
Cup: Height: 3.7 cm; Width: 13.2 cm; Depth: 11.2 … Read more MEASUREMENTS:
Teapot: Height: 10 cm; Width: 27.5 cm; Depth: 18 cm
Cup: Height: 3.7 cm; Width: 13.2 cm; Depth: 11.2 cm
Total weight of set: 2.175 kg

Description of the item:
Wonderful polychrome glazed ceramic tea set, consisting of 12 cups and a large teapot, each piece signed under the base Baratti Pesaro, dating back to around 1940. Each piece features unique stylized decorations hand-painted on the theme of characters and events from the famous novel Don Quixote. The combination of the Art Deco design of the set and the stylized, angular decoration, much more similar to futurist, abstract or even expressionist decorations, is very unusual. Each decoration recalls a different moment in the story of Don Quixote, with stylized subjects, long spears, and elongated shapes, precisely to recall the classic iconography of this famous character, always depicted as thin, tall, with long, slender limbs.

Useful information for evaluating the item:
From our internet research, we have found that of the various decorations created by the artist, this is by far the most valuable. In fact, we found a single bowl with the same decoration for which the asking price is €160, while a large tray with a different but similar decoration is asking for as much as €700. At auction, beautiful jugs are listed at prices ranging from €400-500 to over €1,500, while plates and trays are sold for €500 or €700 plus auction fees. This gives an idea of the value of ceramics made by this artist.

Information about the artist and/or manufacturer:
The painter and decorator Bruno Baratti was born in Cattolica, in the province of Forlì, in 1911 and began his career as a ceramist at a very young age, in 1925, as an apprentice at the Cartoceti artistic majolica factory. The following year, he was hired as an apprentice ceramic painter at the workshop of ceramist Pietro Ciccoli, where he worked under the direct supervision of painter Achille Wildi, who in 1928 took him to work with him in his new workshop. A few months later, Wildi closed his workshop and moved to France, and Baratti returned, this time no longer as an apprentice but as a painter, to work at the "Ciccoli" factory. Bruno Baratti's works were presented at the Milan Triennial in 1931 and, in the same year, participated in the International Ceramic Art Competition in Faenza. In 1938, he won first prize at the Littoriali della Cultura, an award he won again the following year. In 1939, tired of constantly repeating Renaissance-style decorations and eager to give free rein to his creative flair, thanks to patron Giorgio Ugolini, who offered him a plot of land in exchange for some ceramics, he opened the "Baratti" workshop in Via Condotti in Pesaro, where he produced modern-style ceramics, including some interesting unique pieces. In 1942, 1946, and 1947, some of his works won first prize in the Faenza ceramics competition. During the war years, he worked at the Military District of Pesaro, which allowed him to continue working in his workshop until the post-war years, when he decided to teach a number of students who would go on to become talented ceramists and his collaborators in the 1950s, such as Gian Battista Valentini, Renato Bertini, Mario Terenzi, Auro Salvaneschi, and Ferruccio Marchetti. In 1945, just after the war ended, the Civic Museum of Pesaro dedicated a solo exhibition to him in the Giambellino rooms. In 1950, he participated in the 9th National Ceramics Competition in Faenza. In 1957, the factory opened a new workshop at Via Collenuccio 22 in Pesaro. He was still active at the end of the 1970s, when, among other things, he collaborated occasionally with the "Ceramica Arcore" factory owned by Marco Terenzi and his sister Tina, wife of Nanni Valentini. In 1981, the Municipality of Pesaro dedicated an anthological exhibition to him. Bruno Baratti died in Pesaro in 2008.


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