History of ceramics: The Nineteenth Century

Demand for Majolica Declines Sharply

In the 19th century European culture is swept by a wave of historicism which, if in German, France and England was to be translated into the total re- evaluation of the mediaeval period and Gothic art, in Italy was to assume more specific characteristics. The art of the 15th and 16th centuries is favored and the early Renaissance celebrated as a moment of national glory. This approach was to involve the applied arts of well, and consequently the ceramic art. In the first decades of the century the Deruta production was experiencing a time of great difficulty.

Like most Italian ceramic centers of ancient tradition, it suffered the effects of the acute market crisis brought about by an increased demand for porcelain or the cheaper earthenware, to the detriment of artistic majolica. This led to the gradual, but inexorable impoverishment of the artistic, technical and decorative heritage of the previous centuries. The most elaborate and sophisticated types were lost or laid to one side {the last examples of lustreware, for example, date back to the 17th century}, and the pictorial and decorative tradition which in the past had made Deruta famous, was temporarily put on hold. In 1854, Bianconi, a contemporary historian, describes the situation thus: "nowadays, the production of majolica there is very small and has declined, numbering on five workshops of white enameled earthenware".

From the numerous kiln rejects discovered in the course of a recent archaeological excavation, a production emerges which generally consists of tableware fragments, white for the most part, with the occasional addition of simple decorations such as filleting, sponging or floral motifs stencilled in blue, red and green. There were undoubtedly plenty of attempts made to execute more complex decorations, as demonstrated by the tea set shown in the photo, the oval plate preserved in the Deruta regional Museum dated 1853, with floral designs at the center and flower sprays drawn around the border or the plate signed by A. Angeli, depicting classical architecture or, finally; a fairly refined majolica tabernacle on which appear a host and the inscription "oleum sanctum".

However, apart from these few example, a revival of artistic production in Deruta still appears a long way off. Results showing some degree of promise did not even appear as a consequence of the Commune of Deruta’s venture to organize an Industrial Prize Exhibition in 1872, with the aim of promoting "the encouragement and improvement of the manufacture of majolica in the town".

Although not rescheduled in subsequent years, this event was, however a sign of renewed and gradually increasing interest, especially on the part of the local authorities, who observed the need to enhance and reanimate Deruta’s artistic tradition. A contribution to this same end was also provided by studies and research carried out in this period, relating to the origins of Deruta pottery. The first publications in the 1860s by French ceramics experts, motivated perhaps by the Louvre’s acquisition of the Campana collection, were followed, in the years Immediately after by research, articles, essays and a monograph.