Posts from the ‘Italian Makers’ Category

Oct 15

Fratelli Fanciullacci Tapering Vase

I picked up this stunning Fratelli Fanciullacci Tapering Vase recently. A hard to find design….here anyway.

This hand decorated piece has an exquisitely detailed design consisting of bands of sgraffito (drawn lines), a top band of multi coloured glossy flowers, which have been applied thickly like enamel.

There is a green leaf repeat pattern near the base, along with a charming trellis and beautiful little white enamel dots over the piece.

The base glaze has a very luxurious and tactile, sand like texture often found on Fratelli pieces.

Inside it is glazed gloss with a nice touch of a delicate yellow splatter design inside near the top.

This pattern appears in Mark Hill’s book Alla Moda on p124. There seem to be a number of variations of the form. This one tapers from a round base to a rectangular top, and is 21cm tall.

Marked “Italy 8117” to the base.

Fratelli Fanciullacci Tapering Vase, Italy 1950s

Fratelli Fanciullacci Vase, Italy 1950s, Base Shot

Sep 27

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Coccia Italy

I came across the first piece below earlier this year. It’s a maker I haven’t seen previously – but I was captivated by the piece.

The bowl is obviously Italian with such a delightful hand painted design, made from earthenware and cased in red leather. It is a form and style popular in Italy in the 1950s – and is most probably from the Florentine or San Marino region.

It is signed “Coccia” – but extensive searching has come up with no information about this maker – including whether it is a person or company by that name. The facebook group Midcentury Italian Ceramics and Bitossi Collectors have seen this signature on a few pieces, but again – no information has come to light about the Italian Pottery signed “Coccia”…..so if you know anything about Coccia I would love to know.

Pieces from this maker come up from time to time online, and they usually have a very similar style and painting technique….which bears a resemblance to the style often used by Fantoni. I have included a few of them below:

Coccia Italy – Photo Ray Garrod

Coccia Italy

Sep 24

SICA Italy

Its always great to find out the maker of an item to give it more context and place in history. I had the striking modernist design plate for several years before selling it recently, and have recently found out its maker – SICA, Italy.

The information about its origin came thanks to the very well run facebook group Midcentury Italian Ceramic & Bitossi Collectors

The piece turns out to be made by SICA – Società Italiana Ceramica Artistica – which was founded in Nove, in the province of Vicenza in 1946. It split into 2 companies in 1969 after which the company split into “S.I.C.A.R.T” and “C.A.I.”. They produced a wide range or wares – often mistaken or misattributed as Bitossi – especially the figurines.

The example I had was part of the SICA production.

You can see a wide cross section of the wares made on the facebook group on this page

My favourites though are the modernist designs like the ones below which remind me so much of the painting and artwork of the 1960s.