Pair Of Allegorical Vases Of The Arts

PAIR OF ALLEGORICAL VASES OF THE ARTS: ‘DIFFICIL CAMMIN, CHE L’UOM ASSAI RARO NE CONOSCE IL FIN.’ (A difficult path, whose end few men know.) Polychrome majolica | Second half of the 19th century (c. 1860–1880) | Central Italian manufacture

Elegant pair of historicist majolica vases dating from the second half of the 19th century The vases have an ovoid body on a moulded foot and a flared neck, in a style derived from Renaissance ceremonial ceramics. The surface is decorated with large oval medallions framed by scrolls and grotesque plastic masks, surmounted by cherubs with festoons. The scenes depict allegories of the Arts.
In the first vase, a female figure writes on a monumental scroll, flanked by a cherub with a palette and brushes: a clear celebration of painting and creative genius. The engraved motto reads: “Difficil cammin, che l'uom assai raro ne conosce il fin” (A difficult path, whose end few men know), suggesting the uncertainty of the artistic goal and the extraordinary results that can come from it.

The pictorial quality and the fusion of plastic and decorative elements suggest a cultured manufacture, probably active between Tuscany and the Umbrian-Roman area, in the fervent neo-Renaissance climate of workshops such as the Ginori Manufactory and the Cantagalli Manufactory.

Height: 33 cm


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