Vintage retro Majolica ‘RICO’ handpainted plate signed by artist from Deruta Italy.
Deruta, a medieval hilltown in Umbria, Italy, is mainly known as a major centre for the production of maiolica (painted tin-glazed earthenware) in the Renaissance and later. Production of pottery is documented in the early Middle Ages, though no surviving pieces can be firmly attributed there before about 1490. It reached its artistic peak in the 15th and early 16th century. It was the first Italian centre to use lustreware pigments, usually yellow, ruby or olive-green. Open pieces are usually only painted the top side; both of these suggesting influence from Spain. Deruta istoriato designs (with narrative scenes) are less common than single figures, usually no more than half-length, and in both cases the central painted design rarely covers the whole surface, leaving room for a generous border painted with decorative motifs.
The Ricco Deruta decoration is one of the decorations that best represents Deruta and its ceramics. A decoration that dates back to the beginning of the 16th century and which was also taken up by the fabulous painter Pietro di Cristoforo Vannucci, known as Perugino.
- Diameter – 26 cm
- Italian Majolica, signed by author
- Made in Deruta, Italy
- Pattern – RICO
- Sourced in Italy
- Manufacturer – Ceramiche Rustiche Vincenzo D’Aria
- Condition – great / signs of age / use may appear / scratches on the edge / see images
