Terracotta Informal Biomorphic Anthropomorphic Sculpture attributed to Albisola, 1920s

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Description

Measurements:
height: 20.5 cm; width: 18.5 cm; depth: 15 cm; weight: 2.2 kg

item :
impressive and vigorous heavy terracotta … Read more Measurements:
height: 20.5 cm; width: 18.5 cm; depth: 15 cm; weight: 2.2 kg

item :
impressive and vigorous heavy terracotta sculpture, modeled entirely by hand in a single piece, 20.5 cm tall and weighing a considerable 2.2 kg for its height, dating to the 1950s and 1960s. The work fully embodies the informal and spatialist aesthetic of the postwar period through a fascinating iconography centered on the theme of biological metamorphosis. The central anthropomorphic structure rises like a plant stem from which two large, finely carved, ribbed leaves emerge, acting as arms or supple wings. The apex culminates in an open floral corolla from which emerges a zoomorphic and archaic creature (similar to a small reptile or dragon), while the entire composition is enveloped on the back by a large striated valve that serves as a protective shell and display throne. The coating technique uses a thick, semi-vitrified hard enamel, rich in metallic oxides in shades of beige, ochre, and dusty gray-blue. Examination of the base reveals a large central square vent for cooking gases. There are also two rectangular recesses, one unfortunately partially filled by dripping glaze during firing, while in the other, the capital letter "g" appears to have been sculpted in white enamel, clearly impressed while the ware is still raw using a rectangular geometric punch or stamp, combined with the cold-stamped workshop abbreviation "5." from an attributional perspective, while sharing the material and "stony" feel of guido gambone's circle, the presence of a clear "g" monogram imprinted on the raw surface within a rectangular piece, in our opinion, shifts the attribution toward the avant-garde workshops of the albisola-faenza axis. The tormented asymmetries and penchant for the organic grotesque are strongly evocative of the plastic research of masters active in the historic ligurian kilns (such as agenore fancello, lucio fontana with his baroque marine subjects, or sculptors from the circle of the san giorgio factory), where terracotta was marked with geometric stamps for group exhibitions and subjected to a pure expressionist urgency.

useful information for evaluating the object:
the commercial positioning of a ceramic sculpture of this material density and stylistic complexity fits within the specialized collecting of mid-twentieth-century italian sculpture. Contemporary terracotta or stoneware pieces of similar informal design, monogrammed or marked with exhibition marks but lacking a full signature, command an estimated price between €500 and €800 on the antiques market and at decorative arts auctions, justified by the uniqueness of the piece, the quality of the high-fired glaze, and its imposing sculptural weight. To gauge the importance of this specific field, it's enough to consider that the avant-garde sculptural ceramics of the 1950s and 1960s by the great masters of ligurian and faenza informal art (such as carlo zauli, roberto crippa, and agenore fancello) consistently achieve significant auction results, ranging from €3,000 to over €10,000 for large terracotta pieces. The work in question, despite the anonymous artist's surname, retains a high aesthetic and structural value that makes it a highly desirable piece for a high-end gallery, moving toward the higher end of the indicated price range.

information on the artist and/or manufacturer:
the informal ceramic sculpture of the 1950s and 1960s represented a radical turning point in the history of italian art, transforming terracotta from a craft material to the medium of choice for major international sculpture. Centers such as albisola superiore and faenza transformed into open-air workshops where sculptors, painters, and ceramists collaborated to destroy academic form in favor of pure matter. This movement, guided by the spatialist intuitions of lucio fontana and chemical experiments with stoneware and terra forte, focused on the study of primordial structures: fossils, botanical metamorphoses, marine growths, and calcareous shells. The works born from this artistic fervor were celebrated in the historic editions of the faenza prize and in the post-war venice biennials, marking a point of no return that still influences contemporary sculpture and whose masterpieces are exhibited in the major museums of applied arts around the world, such as the mic in faenza and the ceramics museum in savona. See less