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16th - 18th Century Castelli Ceramics from
Italian Collections This exhibition in the Blue Bedroom of the Winter Palace was organized by the State Hermitage together with the Province of Teramo; the Abruzzo Region; the Municipality of Teramo; the Municipality of Castelli; and the Ceramics Museum of Castelli. It enjoys the participation and support of the Barbella Museum of Art (Chieti), the National Museum of Abruzzo (Aquila), the Fuschi Collection (Castelli), the Terregna Collection, the Giacomini Collection (Rome), the Cerulli Irelli Collection (Teramo), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Italian Republic, the General Consulate of the Italian Republic in St Petersburg, the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Teramo, and also the Bank of Cooperative Credit of Teramo. Castelli is a small Italian city in the Teramo mountains of the Abruzzo Region. This is where during the 16th to 18th centuries a majolica was created which could compete with the output of celebrated Italian majolica production centers like Urbino, Faenza, Deruta Castel-Durante, Pesaro and Monteluppo. Sixty pieces of majolica from Castelli are displayed in the exhibition. These include apothecary vessels - pitchers, Albarelli, vases which served as storage containers for medicinal herbs and potions while decorating the interiors of pharmacies. In the 1980's it was discovered that amazing works of art were made in Castelli as early as the 16th century. As a result of excavations in the city, it became evident that this city is where the magnificent "family" of apothecary pitchers and Orsini-Colonna Albarelli which are seen in the world's major museums came from. The group of majolica in question has in common typological elements of a vase in the British Museum which depicts a bear, the symbol of the Orsini family, embracing a column, the symbol on the coat of arms of the Colonna family. This was one of the remarkable discoveries of 20th century archeology. The bright painting on these ceramics normally accompanies inscriptions with the names of medicinal preparations that were kept in the vessels. Painting covers nearly the entire surface. Here there were often portrayed saints, heroes from Roman history, head and shoulders portraits of men and women. The unusual Castelli style of ceramics carries within it features that may be identified as influences from Italian and German engravings of the 15th and 16th centuries which the local Italian masters used sometimes as models for their painting. In addition to apothecary majolica, other especially interesting items are ceramic tiles from the city of Castelli. This is the location of the Church of San Donato , which has a ceiling decorated with tiles made in a manner similar to the painted vases of Orsini-Colonna. The painting of both vases and tiles in the San Donato Church to a large degree may be traced to one family of local ceramics masters, the Pompei, among them Oracio Pompei. During the 17th century, some ceramics masters who painted apothecary majolica in Castelli gave a lot of space to white backgrounds and less space to the painting. Their palette became less rich and was restricted to ochre, dark blue and green colors. This decorative style was given the name compendiario. Later a new style of painting developed in Castelli using a color range rather similar to water colors. The variety of subjects depicted was enriched with the addition of genre scenes from daily life in agrarian communities as well as very finely executed landscapes, often with depiction of Antique ruins. Compared to the richly colored majolica ceramics of the Renaissance, Castelli majolica of the 17th and 18th centuries is noted for its pale tones which, notwithstanding a certain fading, produce a harmonious impression.. One interesting master of this period was Antonio Lollo. The greatest artistic achievements in the 17th and 18th centuries were made by the families of Grue, Gentille and Capelleti, who produced majolica in Castelli for the entire two hundred years. An exhibition catalogue has been prepared by the Italian side.
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