Please help with this ITALIAN majolica mark

Discussion in 'Pottery, Glass, and Porcelain' started by Luis, May 5, 2017.

  1. Luis

    Luis Member

    Hello,
    I purchased this majolica urn long time ago. I remember the seller indicated it is Italian, but he could not state the brand. It is fully marked, and believe it or not after all of these years, I am now puzzled to know the brand; I have been looking everywhere but I have not been able to identify a name or confirm country of origin. Hope you can help!!
    Luis
     

    Attached Files:

    808 raver and Joshua Brown like this.
  2. Ownedbybear

    Ownedbybear Well-Known Member

    Can you edit your header to include the word Italy? If you do, then Walter will see it.
     
  3. clutteredcloset49

    clutteredcloset49 Well-Known Member

  4. 808 raver

    808 raver Well-Known Member

    That's truly lovely. I don't do ceramics but that I could find room for :)
     
  5. Walter Del Pellegrino

    Walter Del Pellegrino Well-Known Member

    Unfortunately the piece is “NOT” fully marked. This tentatively means that we cannot fully confirm a country of origin, artist, studio or date of creation. Thus, what I am about to relate to you is based solely upon my knowledge and experience. It is, in no way irrefutable and the subject remains open for other opinions.
    The star logo, usually with a wavy tail attached to it, represents the town of Nove and Bassano. These towns, close to each other, are the main pottery making districts in the Veneto region and not far from Venice. Dozens of potteries over the last three centuries have used all sorts of variations of the star or the comet (a star with wavy line attached) to signify their locale. The firm of Barrentoni was among the first to use the logo (1685) but many others followed. Thus without further clues we will never be certain which studio this came from. For example the firm of Agostellini and Del Pra used a comet with the letters A/D to identify themselves.
    The urn is not an example of majolica, which is a process involving a white tin glaze base coat fired in the kiln at least twice and sometimes three times. Your urn is made of Terraglia, a white clay produced in the 18th century to give the appearance of porcelain without the expense. Terraglia is still in popular use in Nove and neighboring Bassano. The basic design is known simply as Fiori (Floral).
    Note the piece does not state the country in which it was made. There are a number of possible reason for this. It may be that the piece was created before the enactment of the McKinley Tariff Act in 1890 which required country identification. The urn may not have been was intended for export, in which case no identification was required. Perhaps the studio forgot to mark the item and some inefficient Customs Officer overlooked the fact during inspection.
    In my opinion the urn dates to a period between 1920 and 1940.
    Below is an example from the same region during the early 20th century.

    [​IMG]
     
  6. Luis

    Luis Member

    Thanks a lot! This is very useful. I had always thought that this was a porcelain manufacturers mark.
     
  7. Luis

    Luis Member

    Thanks!!
     
  8. Luis

    Luis Member

    clutteredcloset49 likes this.
  9. Luis

    Luis Member

    :)
     
Draft saved Draft deleted
Similar Threads: Please help
Forum Title Date
Pottery, Glass, and Porcelain Small Ceramic Fish, Matte Glaze: Unknown Mark, Help Please? Sunday at 6:24 PM
Pottery, Glass, and Porcelain more pattern help please. 6 1/4" cordials Friday at 8:18 PM
Pottery, Glass, and Porcelain Help With Glass Vase Please Oct 29, 2024
Pottery, Glass, and Porcelain Please help identify this 3-legged pitcher Oct 11, 2024
Pottery, Glass, and Porcelain Help identify this antique vase please Sep 23, 2024

Share This Page