History of Ceramics in Tuscany

Ceramics of Montepulciano

The recognition of earthenware production in Montepulciano is the result of a series of converging studies, started in the last decade by various scholars and researchers who have taken advantage of the invaluable coordination of the Library and the Civic Museum Poliziano, determined to promote the knowledge and conservation of local traditions of earthenware manufacture. Private collectors, in fact, collected ceramics from the historic centre. These show a “Sienese” technology, coupled with original decoration, which were influenced by tried and tested methods in this region (and in particular in Florentine territory), but above all, they significantly related back to the majolicas from the nearby Deruta. Not being an object of special interest, nor of systematic collection, these materials have been lost.

Excavations carried out in 1999 in palazzo Neri Orselli and an archaeological search in a refuse tip with material from a kiln at Il Bersaglio have radically changed the perspectives of the research into local production, supplying indispensable elements to a preliminary description of ceramics from Montepulciano.
The tip at Bersaglio – unfortunately not unknown to local “scavengers” – turned out to have been used by at least five different workshops and kilns. Besides, it can be dated to within the second half of the 17th century, to a period, that is, characterized by a general decline – at least from the point of view of quality – of ceramic decoration. The “unfavourable” chronology of material “dug up” in Bersaglio prevents us, most probably, from finding out about the maximum quality reached by the ceramic production of Montepulciano, even though it records a period which does not seem one of serious productive decline for local potters. Already in documents regarding property taxes at the beginning of the 15th century, there appear to have been at least four potters listed.
Despite these obstacles, the finds in refuse tips near kilns show quite clearly a well organized production, using a technique shared by several workshops and based essentially on the manufacture of “mezzamaiolica. Mezzamaiolica is a type of ceramic in which the biscuit is engobed on the visible side, before glazing with a mixture of metal silica poor in tin which makes it opaque.

What emerges from the material found at il Bersaglio shows how the workshops in Montepulciano produced, prevalently (in the second half of the 17th century) open receptacles (basins, plates, deep dishes and bowls of various types), even though the more closed receptacles were not at all unknown (especially jugs and also small pharmaceutical jars ).
As well as an abundant manufacture of monochrome white tableware, without decoration which widely used the shapes of the late “compendiario” style, still in vogue, a group of decorations in monochrome blue was found, alongside polychrome ones, found in larger quantity, which used green, orange, yellow and blue pigment, with a modest amount of manganese brown. It is quite noticeable how both these two “families” of decorations tended to develop, even though with different colouring, the same repertoire, in which it is easy to recognize the influence of plant shaped border decoration, belonging to the “naturalistic calligraphic” style from Deruta. The same can be said about a less widely spread family in orange monochrome which is clearly attracted by Umbrian style metallic shine. It is not unlikely, however, that, given the closeness of the productions, specimens attributed to Deruta may turn out to be in reality produced in the kilns of Montepulciano.

Among the documents typical of polychrome work, there is mention in particular of certain basins or bowls with plant or animal or even anthropomorphic figures. These show profuse flower compositions “in bunches”, hares, wild boars and especially big horses (often dappled) with or without rider, caught while training, as when, given long reign, they gallop off furiously.
The human figures, which also recall those of the almost contemporary glazed production from Montelupo, are aimed at representing a country petit bourgeoisie who spent their time in hunting and other countryside pastimes.

The chronological span of the earthenware tradition of Montepulciano – among which manufacturers of kitchen utensils and terracotta should probably be numbered – turns out to be anything other than modest, since local specimens were found dated up to the first half of the 18th century. What is more, at the end of that century, there is mention of the opening of a new factory of majolica in Montepulciano and there is evidence that three kilns were still in operation there in the early decades of the 19th century.

Fausto Berti