Hand-impressed "divots" are created with a wooden stylus—giving this two handled urn the appearance of a stylized strawberry ("fragola" in italiano). It was handmade by the Florentine pottery workshop Fratelli Fanciullacci in the 1960's. Although the studio was founded in the 19th century, the Brothers Fanciullacci were at the leading edge of Post-War Italian Modernist ceramics in the Mid-Century. Modernist ceramics master Aldo Londi worked for Fratelli Fanciullacci before joining Bitossi after World War Two.
Alas, the workshop was severely damaged during the flooding of the Arno River in 1966. The company lost most of its stock, equipment, paperwork and artisans (who were forced to move-on to other work while the ceramics studio attempted to regroup). Although Fratelli Fanciullacci did re-open, they had lost their momentum and limped along for a few years before closing for good in 1988.
An interesting note about the company name: Fratelli, in Italian, means "brothers." Fanciullacci is a proper family name, though its root word, fanciulla means "girl." Does this make the company's name "The Girl Brothers"?
Please click on the photo above to learn more about this handsome piece.
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