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Ceramics, Pottery shop
Welcome to my website of ceramics art, pottery art, italian pottery, porcelain, Albisola pottery, italian decorations, majolica, italian majolica, italian porcelain, italian ceramics, ceramics furniture, pottery furniture, handcraft pottery, handcraft ceramics, gift. Benvenuti nel mio sito di ceramiche d'Arte, ceramica italiana, Albissola marina, Albisola superiore, ceramiche artistiche, ceramiche italiane, maioliche italiane, Savona ceramiche, Arte di Albisola, arredamenti, artigianato, maiolica italiana, decorazioni, vasi, vasellame, arredamento, ceramiche, abatjours, piastrelle, ceramica, maioliche, Arte Savona, articoli da regalo, maiolica, ceramica di Savona, ceramica artistica.
Francesco Guarino Francesco Guarino's production follows Albisola's tradition of decorative pottery in a naturalistic way, and includes still life, landscapes, sculptures, and so on; also commissioned oil portraits. His work is produced entirely in majolica and consists of unique handcrafted items guaranteed by Francesco's artistic experience. He started working with masters of pottery in 1990 and later opened his own workshop, preferring to specialize in unique originals rather than mass production. Francesco Guarino has participated in art exhibitions at national and international level.


Albisola

Welcome to my website of ceramics art, pottery art, italian pottery, porcelain, Albisola pottery, italian decorations, majolica, italian majolica, italian porcelain, italian ceramics, ceramics furniture, pottery furniture, handcraft pottery, handcraft ceramics, gift. Benvenuti nel mio sito di ceramiche d'Arte, ceramica italiana, Albissola marina, Albisola superiore, ceramiche artistiche, ceramiche italiane, maioliche italiane, Savona ceramiche, Arte di Albisola, arredamenti, artigianato, maiolica italiana, decorazioni, vasi, vasellame, arredamento, ceramiche, abatjours, piastrelle, ceramica, maioliche, Arte Savona, articoli da regalo, maiolica, ceramica di Savona, ceramica artistica.
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Albisola is a small town in the province of Savona which, as well as being a wellknown holiday resort, can claim a position of national importance in the field of ceramics and majolica production. Albisola pottery is famous above all for its characteristic blue and white colours, known as "Antique Savona". Francesco's work moves within this artistic framework, applying his inborn talent to the typical Albisola technique. This talent is probably traceable to the heritage of his Sicilian origins, as this region is traditionally rich in artists dedicated to the creation of ceramics. Francesco is very versatile. His work is varied, without exaggeration or useless detail, with an eye to traditional styles. His work includes vases, sculptures, paintings, decorated plates, lamps, portraits, objects for interior decoration, landscapes, gift articles, all made to order. Another aspect of Francesco's varied artistic personality is his interest in sacred art. He has a wide production inspired by ancient traditon, and there is a rich section on sacred art on his website. Portraits of the saints and the nativity and passion of Christ, sculptures of nativity figures, plates decorated with biblical scenes are only some of the items to be found on the link to sacred art. Sea, sun and mountains are only some of the attractions of this small but important centre in the province of Savona, and even if you are interested in only a few of these, treating yourself to a holiday in Albisola is worthwhile! If you come this way pay a visit to Francesco's studio and admire his work firsthand. It is situated opposite the railway station in Albisola Superiore, close to the motorway exit.


History

Welcome to my website of ceramics art, pottery art, italian pottery, porcelain, Albisola pottery, italian decorations, majolica, italian majolica, italian porcelain, italian ceramics, ceramics furniture, pottery furniture, handcraft pottery, handcraft ceramics, gift. Benvenuti nel mio sito di ceramiche d'Arte, ceramica italiana, Albissola marina, Albisola superiore, ceramiche artistiche, ceramiche italiane, maioliche italiane, Savona ceramiche, Arte di Albisola, arredamenti, artigianato, maiolica italiana, decorazioni, vasi, vasellame, arredamento, ceramiche, abatjours, piastrelle, ceramica, maioliche, Arte Savona, articoli da regalo, maiolica, ceramica di Savona, ceramica artistica. The tradition of working clay in Albisola goes back thousands of years. We can say that it has followed the growth of civilization down the centuries. Good quality clay for pottery was produced in Albisola during Roman times, and the decline of the pottery tradition coincided with the decline of Roman civilization, only to revive slowly in the Middle Ages up to the 16th century. In the 17th century Albisola could boast some of the best majolica production in Europe, the most widely made decorative pottery being the calligraphic-naturalistic Antique Savona, or blue and white, style. The 18th century witnessed the development of the Levantino and Valente styles, together with the Boselli and other decorative styles which continued into the 19th century and led to Art Déco and Futurism. So the history of pottery in Albisola moves on through the centuries. There is Welcome to my website of ceramics art, pottery art, italian pottery, porcelain, Albisola pottery, italian decorations, majolica, italian majolica, italian porcelain, italian ceramics, ceramics furniture, pottery furniture, handcraft pottery, handcraft ceramics, gift. Benvenuti nel mio sito di ceramiche d'Arte, ceramica italiana, Albissola marina, Albisola superiore, ceramiche artistiche, ceramiche italiane, maioliche italiane, Savona ceramiche, Arte di Albisola, arredamenti, artigianato, maiolica italiana, decorazioni, vasi, vasellame, arredamento, ceramiche, abatjours, piastrelle, ceramica, maioliche, Arte Savona, articoli da regalo, maiolica, ceramica di Savona, ceramica artistica. disagreement among experts as regards the timing of its rise to national fame. Some, like Antonio Aragon, believe it spreads from Sicily from the 11th century onwards, covering the whole of Italy in the space of a few hundred years and reaching Albisola around the 12th century. But according to the English archaeologist David Whitehouse the origins of early Sicilian or southern pottery are different from those of ancient northern pottery and date back to the 12th century, stemming from north Africa and reaching Albisola and Savona in due course. It's possible that this production is reflected in the Welcome to my website of ceramics art, pottery art, italian pottery, porcelain, Albisola pottery, italian decorations, majolica, italian majolica, italian porcelain, italian ceramics, ceramics furniture, pottery furniture, handcraft pottery, handcraft ceramics, gift. Benvenuti nel mio sito di ceramiche d'Arte, ceramica italiana, Albissola marina, Albisola superiore, ceramiche artistiche, ceramiche italiane, maioliche italiane, Savona ceramiche, Arte di Albisola, arredamenti, artigianato, maiolica italiana, decorazioni, vasi, vasellame, arredamento, ceramiche, abatjours, piastrelle, ceramica, maioliche, Arte Savona, articoli da regalo, maiolica, ceramica di Savona, ceramica artistica. "Bacini" mounted on Ligurian bell towers and church façades and recorded in the inventories of pottery ware belonging to Ligurian nobles. According to 8th century documents Benedictine monks brought pottery to Albisola, usually glazed earthenware or slips. The rebirth of ceramics production in Albisola is documented in the 15th century: ancient majolica, slips, semi majolica, glass panels, lustres. But the real triumph of majolica in Albisola came about in the 16th century and in the 17th century it made the town famous throughout Europe. Many other documents and products testify to the flowering of Albisola ceramics in the 16th century. These products were sought after by nobles, not only in Genoa and Liguria. In this period families of ceramics artists were born in Savona and Albisola, who flourished and became famous well into the 17th and 18th centuries. The Bianchino and Ghirardi families produced other ceramics artists who spanned the centuries. In the 16th century came the first statutes regulating the profession, and many artists from Albisola and Savona adhered to these corporations or statutes: Conradi, Piccone, Salomone and Ghirardi, Grosso, Peluffo, Sciaccarama, Seirullo, Saettone or Seitone, and other masters wrote the history of pottery in Albisola and Savona. The 17th century is perhaps the period of its greatest splendour. Thanks to the work of the painter Giovanni Antonio Guidobono the famous "Antique Savona" decoration gained popularity, putting Albisola and Savona at the forefront of Italian production, and the famous turquoise colouring was in demand throughout Italy and Europe. These towns achieved fame for their fine white glazing as well as for decorative style. In this period, the rivalry between workshops led to family names and marks being used on vases to identify the majolica of Albisola and Savona. But there were highs and lows in their Welcome to my website of ceramics art, pottery art, italian pottery, porcelain, Albisola pottery, italian decorations, majolica, italian majolica, italian porcelain, italian ceramics, ceramics furniture, pottery furniture, handcraft pottery, handcraft ceramics, gift. Benvenuti nel mio sito di ceramiche d'Arte, ceramica italiana, Albissola marina, Albisola superiore, ceramiche artistiche, ceramiche italiane, maioliche italiane, Savona ceramiche, Arte di Albisola, arredamenti, artigianato, maiolica italiana, decorazioni, vasi, vasellame, arredamento, ceramiche, abatjours, piastrelle, ceramica, maioliche, Arte Savona, articoli da regalo, maiolica, ceramica di Savona, ceramica artistica. production, caused by the wars and epidemics that afflicted Europe in that period. The Folco, Chiodo Bianchino and many other families were active in Albisola and Savona at the time. After 1720 porcelain started to spread and "terzo fuoco" decoration, manufactured by a process of triple firing, came in 1748. Glazed earthenware arrived from Welcome to my website of ceramics art, pottery art, italian pottery, porcelain, Albisola pottery, italian decorations, majolica, italian majolica, italian porcelain, italian ceramics, ceramics furniture, pottery furniture, handcraft pottery, handcraft ceramics, gift. Benvenuti nel mio sito di ceramiche d'Arte, ceramica italiana, Albissola marina, Albisola superiore, ceramiche artistiche, ceramiche italiane, maioliche italiane, Savona ceramiche, Arte di Albisola, arredamenti, artigianato, maiolica italiana, decorazioni, vasi, vasellame, arredamento, ceramiche, abatjours, piastrelle, ceramica, maioliche, Arte Savona, articoli da regalo, maiolica, ceramica di Savona, ceramica artistica. England in 1752, then from the whole of Europe, and together with porcelain it quickly replaced Italian majolica and that of Albisola in particular, causing its rapid decline. Famous ceramics artists like Folco, Levantino, Giacomo Boselli, Ratti, and so on, were working in Albisola and Savona in the 18th century, but in the 19th century the artisan workshops were replaced by European factories which produced porcelain and earthenware with applied decoration. Thus much of the local majolica production was abandoned in favour of earthenware, in spite of the fact that there was no lack of famous artists like Tambuscio and Brilla. Towards the end of the 19th century it was Nicolo' Poggi who contributed to the rebirth of majolica, first in Savona and then in Albisola. His work encouraged other artists to revert to tradition; between the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century Liberty was the most popular decoration, then came Futurism, which brought fame to Albisola. The most famous 18th century style in this part of Italy was the calligraphic naturalistic, which was an imitation of the Turkish decorations of Iznik or of Chinese porcelain. It can be decorated in arabesque, leaf or country "quarters". The Albisola artists superimposed Asian motifs such as hares, deer, birds or leaves on Western ones such as churches, castles or houses, all painted in turquoise or multicoloured. The better known "Antique Savona" decoration was in turquoise on a white background, more rarely multicoloured, Welcome to my website of ceramics art, pottery art, italian pottery, porcelain, Albisola pottery, italian decorations, majolica, italian majolica, italian porcelain, italian ceramics, ceramics furniture, pottery furniture, handcraft pottery, handcraft ceramics, gift. Benvenuti nel mio sito di ceramiche d'Arte, ceramica italiana, Albissola marina, Albisola superiore, ceramiche artistiche, ceramiche italiane, maioliche italiane, Savona ceramiche, Arte di Albisola, arredamenti, artigianato, maiolica italiana, decorazioni, vasi, vasellame, arredamento, ceramiche, abatjours, piastrelle, ceramica, maioliche, Arte Savona, articoli da regalo, maiolica, ceramica di Savona, ceramica artistica. and usually depicted religious or mythological motifs, or landscapes. The Levantino style was widely used in Albisola in the 19th century, as were the Valente "birds and parsley" and the Boselli. In the 20th century Art Déco and Futurism were in vogue. In Albisola beyond to the ceramics you can find one beautiful beach, many restaurants. In Albisola there are also many beautiful churches. In Albisola Superiore finds that one dedicated to Saint Nicolò. In Albisola Capo Saint Peter and Stella Maris. In Albissola Marina that one dedicated to “Ours Mrs. of the Concord”. In the locality Peace in Albisola Superiore the Madonna of the Peace.