History of Gubbio's Pottery Art

Among all the handicraft activities of Gubbio, the art of making pottery is the one that has reached exceptional levels of technical and formal expression. Pottery art is one of the oldest arts that have accompanied man since prehistoric times. Man discovered that wet clay could be molded and consolidated in fire. By doing so, he could meet his needs to contain liquid material without using an ox's horn or shells or fruit shells. It is still possible to discover some pottery fragments in the subsoil of Gubbio because pottery, unlike wood or clothes, is practically indestructible. Thanks to these findings, we know that in the 4th century BC, there was in Gubbio, the making of bucchero and pots.

As documented by archive papers, the art of potters has existed since the 4th century BC. The oldest information we have about the art of Mojolica in Gubbio dates back to the year 1326 when Gonfalon Jacomelli drew up a document with a list of potters who worked in Gubbio at that time.

It was during the 11th and 12th centuries that a great number of potters devoted themselves to the manufacture of elegant objects for demanding customers. It was the time when pottery was decorated with various shades of green, emerald, with graffito or candlestick-like decorations. The most prestigious time of Gubbio's pottery was linked to Mastro Giorgio Andreoli, who arrived in Gubbio in 1498. Along with his brothers they made luxurious pots until 1518, when they decided to produce a kind of majolica that emphasized the decorations called luster, in ruby and pale golden shades. The middle class who wanted more Arabian-Spanish and Arabian-Sicilian styled works, particularly requested this type of mojolica. In a very short time, the works realized in Mastro Giorgios's furnace became so famous that they reached even the table of the Duke of Urbino and the court of Pope Leo X. A contemporary historian is quoted, "His works were in the houses of princes and great knights..."

In the middle ages the metallic enamels became the standard for potters in the towns of Deruta, Urbino, and Pesaro. However, it is only the name of Mastro Giorgio that appears in the history of Italian pottery art. In Gubbio and nearby areas many attempts were made to repoduce his works. the secret of the precious working of patinas, known only to the great Mastro Giorgio, was not discovered. For this reason his works are famous and found today in the Museum of the Louvre, the Victoria Albert Museum of London, the Archaeological Museum of Bologna, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Civic Collection in the Museum of Pesaro. It was not until the twentieth century that Ilario Ciaurro, Cesare Faravelli and Marsilio Biagioli re-introduced the same colors and patina with positive results.

The company, La mastro Giorgio, is to be considered among teh oldest and prestigious majolica companies in Umbria. Today under the direction of the Biagioli family, now in its fourth generation, assure the continuity of a tradition that has contributed to make the ceramics of Gubbio known all through the world.

La Ceramica Mastro Giorgio

• Authenticity of a fine handmade artistic ceramic piece.

• Each piece is hand modeled and formed by an artisan potter.

• Once baked and dried naturally, the object is hand dipped into the glaze.

• The piece is prepared for next two phases: second firing and hand painting.

• Every item bears the hand-written signature of the artisan and name of the factory.  

• Each piece is unique in styling and size because it dries under a natural environment. 

• Irregularities promise a hand-made product instead of a uniform factory formed piece.

• The more detail on the piece the more time it takes for it to be completed.

• La Mastro Giorgio ceramics are fired a third time. This insures that the color is irreversible and insures the hygiene of the clay for food items.

Did you know that each piece of Biagioli artistic pottery (La Mastro Giorgio), no matter the size, is worked at least 104 times by an artisan prior to being placed on the store shelf?

Distinguishing artistic pottery from factory-made ceramics

The shape may be simple. A factory stamped item will lack indentations, fluted edges, or distinguishable pedestals bearing painted details.

• The weight of a factory stamped item will be lighter when compared to the same item that is totally molded by an artisan. 

• The type of clay that is used attributes value to the item. Red clay is more precious and durable. Many ceramics are made with all white or a mixture of white and red clay. By looking at the bottom of the item, one can see what the mixture is.

• The more white background exists on the piece, less labor an artist expends on each item.

• Many factories use a stencil for the signature on the item. In fact, some of the artwork can also be stenciled rather than hand-painted.

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