Product Description
Italian Majolica Pair of “Rose” wall pockets c. 1885

ITALIAN MAJOLICA
Pair of “Rose” wall pockets c. 1885
Three dimensional realistically rendered pink roses with leaf and stems all in the Barbotine technique
Marks: Made in Italy
Barbotine is the French term for ceramic slip or a mixture of clay and water for molding or decorating pottery. This technique was used to create applied adornments on 19th century majolica items.
H: 13″ x W: 7 1/4″ x D: 4 1/4″
Italian Majolica Pair of “Rose” wall pockets c. 1885
SALVATORE MELI (b. 1929) Italy
Important Sculpture / Ewer 1952
Glazed terra cotta, brown and dark green with white scraffito decoration, original stepped and angular wood base.
Signed: Meli 1952 Roma
For more info on Meli see: Design 1935-1965, What Modern was, ed. Martin Eidelberg (New York: Harry Abrams, 1991) p. 237.
Salvatore Meli belongs to that initial group of artists, including Guido Gambone and Lucio Fontana among others, who elevated Italian ceramics to a fine art during the post-war period. Meli conceived this vessel, first on paper, then by laboriously constructing the body in clay, coil by coil, to achieve the richly textured and dynamic form; the incised and painted decoration is in concert with the organic shape. The massive scale of this work defies function as a ewer but was created as a sculptural object. The original wooden base recalls Italian futurist sculpture forms of the early twentieth century.
H (with base): 23 1/2” x W: 13” x D: 9.5”
H (without base): 19 1/8”
Price: $27,500
In the Style of JEAN-MICHEL FRANK (1895 – 1941) France
Pair of “Rodo” chairs 20th Century
Light ceruse oak with red Hermès sueded leather
For more information see: Jean-Michel Frank: The Strange and Subtle Luxury of the Parisian Haute-Monde in the Art Deco period, P.E. Martin-Vivier (Paris, 2006)
H: 32 1/2″