Vintage Ceramic Plaque Tile by Riccardo Gatti Faenza, 1940s

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Measurements
height: 20 cm; width: 24.5 cm; depth: 1.5 cm; weight: 1.162 kg

item description
ceramic plaque, entirely hand-painted, depicting … Read more Measurements
height: 20 cm; width: 24.5 cm; depth: 1.5 cm; weight: 1.162 kg

item description
ceramic plaque, entirely hand-painted, depicting a lake landscape, signed "r. Gatti faenza" and attributed to riccardo gatti and his famous bottega d'arte in faenza, created around the mid-20th century. The composition draws heavily from one of jean-baptiste-camille corot's most poetic river landscapes: the ferry (der fährmann), painted around 1868 and housed at the hamburger kunsthalle, which is reinterpreted here with the freedom and light typical of ceramic painting. On the right, a large tree with windswept branches bends over the water, its slender trunk and branches traced with rapid strokes of a dark brush. On the left, a boat glides through reeds on the river that fills the entire painting from the center to the far left. The background features the remains of a tower on a hill on the opposite bank, beneath a bright sky veiled with pink and lilac clouds. The difference from corot's painting lies in the figures on the boat. In corot's painting, we find a ferryman with a long pole on the left and two women on the right, with the bow pointing to the left. Here, however, the bow is pointing to the right, and a fisherman with his fishing rod pointing upward and a fishing companion are very close together, both on the far right, i.e., at the bow, of the small boat, which is also very similar to the one in corot's painting. The deep greens and golden ochres of the vegetation alternate with the silvery reflections of the water, and the painting, applied with fluid, overlapping brushstrokes, is protected by a deep, glossy glaze that gives the surface the effect of an oil painting. The attribution is based on several consistent elements. At the bottom right is the signature "r. Gatti faenza," drawn with a brush under the glaze and therefore executed before firing, in the same handwriting found on works by the artist and his workshop presented by leading italian auction houses. The pictorial quality, the confident drawing, and the choice of a cultured model such as corot are consistent with the production of a high-level workshop like gatti's, which, in addition to its famous lustres, also produced painted ceramics with a pictorial flair. The state of preservation is excellent, the colors are vibrant, and the glaze is intact on the painted surface. Only small chips, where the biscuit is visible, are present in the corners. The back is covered with period paper secured with adhesive tape, a trace of a previous frame. Riccardo gatti is among the most prestigious names in 20th-century italian ceramics: his works and those of his workshop have been presented repeatedly by leading italian auction houses, including pandolfini, farsetti, finarte, cambi, and babuino, achieving significant results for his most significant pieces. This piece has an attribution mark,
i am sure that it is completely authentic and take full responsibility for any authenticity
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