20th Century Ceramic Placeholders from Mario Cortiello, Naples, Italy, 1920s-1940s

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Description

MEASUREMENTS:
Larger Place Card: Height: 10 cm; Width: 10.5 cm; Depth: 5 cm;
Smaller Place Card: Height: 9 cm; Width: … Read more MEASUREMENTS:
Larger Place Card: Height: 10 cm; Width: 10.5 cm; Depth: 5 cm;
Smaller Place Card: Height: 9 cm; Width: 7.5 cm; Depth: 5.3 cm;

Item :
Pair of ceramic sculptures, entirely hand-molded, glazed, and airbrushed and vitrified. They depict two seated subjects: a woman who appears to resemble a Chinese geisha and an old fisherman with a white beard. The two sculptures are table place cards; on one side there is a space for the guest's name. One of the two is signed "M. Cortiello" on the back. They date back to around 1940-1960. The two sculptures were created by Mario Cortiello, an important Neapolitan painter and ceramist. The artistic style could be described as dreamlike Fauvism, very similar to the works of Chagall; it's no coincidence that Cortiello has been nicknamed the "Italian Chagall."

Useful information for evaluating the item:
from our online research, we know that Mario Cortiello boasts significant auction results, with the four highest prices in the paintings category ranging from €2,600 to €9,000 excluding 25-30% commission.

Information on the artist and/or manufacturer:
Mario Cortiello (Naples, 1907–1981) was a painter. Italian. He was a pupil of Gennaro Villani but soon distanced himself from his influence; a friend and collaborator of Umberto Lilloni, he participated in the Lombard Chiarism movement, but soon developed a personal style, successfully renewing Neapolitan painting without departing from tradition: his pensive Pulcinellas floating against dreamlike backgrounds earned him the nickname "the Neapolitan Chagall." His works are exhibited in numerous Italian museums, including the Ricci Oddi Modern Art Gallery in Piacenza. He has participated in numerous artistic collaborations and major exhibitions. In 2006, one of his works was selected for the traveling exhibition "Il Treno dell'Arte," which featured works by one hundred of the most important Italian painters. The Municipality of Massa di Somma named a street after him. In 2008, a retrospective was organized in Naples to commemorate the centenary of his birth, held at Castel dell'Ovo. This piece has an attribution mark,
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