Sharing the same passion for Italian Ceramics

Italian wall plate by Marco e Vasco Bertini (Firenze) We started this blog driven by our passion for Italian ceramics, a feeling we LOVE to share with other people (passion without sharing is such a waste, don’t you think so?).

Everything about this subject rouses our interest and stimulates us to research and learn and …share. We’re never tired: there is so much to say about Italian ceramics beyond technicalities and detailed descriptions.

Each piece, without exception, is the result of our history, culture, art and tradition. Nothing is more rewarding than meeting people who share our enthusiasm!

Can you imagine the surprise and excitement when we read a comment posted here by Walter Del Pellegrino? Walter and Karen Del Pellegrino are the authors of the first and most informative guides to the identification of Italian pottery written in English. Their handbooks are a MUST for collectors, antique dealers and pottery lovers. They also maintain a dedicated Italian pottery forum where they assist people who wish to learn more about their Italian ceramics.

We are most proud to publish Walter’s feedback on our work and his own experience as an Italian pottery collector and author. This is what he says:

I happened upon ThatsArte.com while haphazardly surfing the web one evening in search of the latest information about Italian pottery. I have been a collector of 19th and 20th century ceramics from Italy for more than three Italian apothecary jar by Alvaro Binaglia (Deruta)decades.

In large part, my joy of collecting was frustrated by the lack of information written in English on the subject and the little I could find was often incorrect or misleading.

A few years ago, at the urging of my wife, I gathered up thirty years of notes, often written on the back of used envelopes or any blank stationary within my grasp, and began to organize them in order to make sense of them.

What evolved from that exercise was a fair compendium of marks and signatures. As I was preparing to have the pages bound for my own use my wife insisted that I have the work published. I was extremely hesitant. Who but me would buy such a book? Of course my wife won the argument and in April of 2005 I released “Italian Pottery Marks From Cantagalli to Fornasetti, 1850-1950”.

To my surprise it continues to sell quite well, even in Italy. This has lead me to believe that the only reason pottery from Italy has been largely overlooked by most collectors is because no one could discover any solid information, the kind of information that would kindle an interest in owning some examples. I know that as a collector nothing is more exciting or addictive than learning about that handmade, hand painted cup and saucer sitting on my shelf.

It is always nice to own and look at an attractive piece of pottery but to learn who made it, when and where, adds to the true value of ownership. To find, for example a plate decorated by Venturino Minardi in 1910 in Faenza is interesting enough but to learn that it was his love of the art that killed him in 1913 (he died of lead poisoning at age 49) makes that plate far more important to its owner. To later discover a single fingerprint, accidently impressed by Venturino into the design, transforms that plate into a piece of treasured history.

With the launch of ThatsArte on the worldwide web that lack of information is about to change and I predict that ceramics from Italy are poised to become the future “hot” collectible. Italian vase by Ceramiche Magnanelli (Gubbio)ThatsArte is not merely a merchant’s site. It is expertly driven by two ladies with a true passion in the art and the craft displayed by Italian ceramics artists, past and present.

It is perhaps the most unique site I have discovered on the subject. The website displays beautifully on my computer screen, it is well crafted and above all else, written with the type of strength of knowledge and expertise that when combined with their obvious love of the subject can breathe life into the plates, dishes and vases you can find on their website.

Finally, I have found two companions in my effort to assist collectors in discovering and appreciating the varied and magnificent world of Italy and its ceramicists through the ages.

The combined efforts of ThatsArte.com, my series of books and my dedicated Italian pottery forum will now finally offer future collectors in the 21st century an opportunity to discover a new world of collectible art.”

One thought on “Sharing the same passion for Italian Ceramics

  1. I have a large collection of Nove Bassano 19C ceramics for sale including chargers, vases, pots and bowls all beautifully decorated with flowers which i want to sell. any ideas?

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