Three Anthropomorphic Pitchers With Babbaluti, Made Of Terracotta, Seminara, 1800

Three Anthropomorphic Pitchers with Babbaluti, Seminara Terracotta, 1800, a set of three bottles, unique and distinctive wine vessels featuring caricatured figures in polychrome glazed ceramic with the typical brown-green drips characteristic of Calabrian pottery. Two depict stylized male figures wearing top hats, with grotesque faces featuring bold, caricatured features, and a handle on the back. The predominant colors of these works are ochre yellow and green, and they measure 38 and 42 cm x 19 in diameter, respectively. The stylized female figure wears an amphora on her head, has a hole in her shoulders, and holds a dove in her hand; she is glazed in shades of yellow, brown, and green and measures 51 cm in height by 15 cm in diameter.

These figures, part of the artisanal ceramic tradition of Seminara (Reggio Calabria), represent playful and creative expressions of Southern Italian folk art. The babbaluti are anthropomorphic flasks or bottles whose bizarre shapes hold deep folk significance; they served to ward off evil influences or to mock soldiers during the Bourbon rule in Calabria, a period marked by deep discontent that led local artisans to give caricatured faces to feudal lords, local nobles, or characters recounted by storytellers.

The three earthenware figures date to the late 1800s and are in good condition.