Castelli Earthenware Plate, Cappelletti Workshop, Landscape With Ancient Ruins, Late 19th Century

A charming oval wall plaque made of polychrome earthenware, high-fired in the pure tradition of the master potters of Castelli d'Abruzzo. The composition draws on the classic repertoire of the genre, inherited from the 18th-century Grue and Cappelletti workshops: in the foreground, a majestic tree with a gnarled, twisted trunk frames the scene; on the left, the remains of ancient architecture—a column or small tower—overgrown with ivy evoke a taste for picturesque ruins; on the right, a lakeside landscape comes to life with small figures, a boat, and a building by the water’s edge, all dominated by a range of bluish hills blending into a clear sky. A painted beige border outlines the composition.The color palette—cobalt blue, copper green, ochre, and manganese brown—as well as the lively, rhythmic brushwork of the foliage are typical of the Castelli style, which was carried on in Rapino (province of Chieti) until the 20th century.The piece bears the signature “F. Cappelletti” in the lower left corner, which most likely refers to Fedele Cappelletti (Rapino, 1847–1920), a direct heir to the dynasty of masters Nicola and Candeloro Cappelletti and a leading figure in the revival of Abruzzese ceramics at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Trained in Naples under Filippo Palizzi, he devoted himself to an in-depth study of 18th-century Castellana faience, whose decorative vocabulary he carried forward. Works by him are featured, notably, in the collections of the Certosa e Museo Nazionale di San Martino in Naples.The piece retains its hanging mechanism and is ready to be displayed on a wall. Dimensions: 14 x 11 cm