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A variety of decorative motifs were used: the “knot”, which was an oriental talisman, the Star of David, which was a propitiatory sign, pomegranates, a circle with a cross, a diamond divided by a cross, animals, trees and good luck rosettes engraved in the background, together with heads, mostly in profile, and human or animal figures surrounded by leaves and Gothic scrolls.
Vegetative and geometric themes also appeared, at times covering the entire dish, and were often arranged in stripes and applied with a metal point or a stick.
The use of trellised hedges was particularly ornate.
These consist of interwoven willow branches enclosing a flower garden with female and male figures and coats of arms.
A garden enclosed by a trellis (“hortusconclusus”) represents a place of love and joy throughout the entire series known as “amatory” or “nuptial” ceramics.
Production
The objects are shaped on a wheel using red sedimentary clay.
A thin layer of smooth white clay (engobe) is spread on the raw object before it has fully dried.
The preparatory design is applied with a brush while the white clay is still damp, and then subsequently repeated, marking the surface of the white clay with a thin metal point to reveal the underlying grey clay, which becomes red after firing.
The most commonly used colours are verdigris (copper oxide), rust yellow (iron oxide) and manganese purple (manganese dioxide).
Before the second firing in the furnace the object is partially glazed (for waterproofing) with crystalline, which can either be clear or slightly coloured using the same metal oxides.
Interesting Facts
Duke Alfonso I d’Este is reputed to have been a great admirer of Ferrara sgraffito ceramics and in his spare time, when free from military or diplomatic duties, his passion for dabbling in his “workshop” in the Este castle was so great that it changed Italian aristocratic etiquette: he was the first prince to introduce ceramic tableware, which replaced the gold and silver that had been in use on the tables of nobility until then.
By Camera di Commercio di Ferrara with Unioncamere
By Camera di Commercio di Catania with Unioncamere