The history of Sicilian Ceramics
As we all know, Sicily has always been a crossroads of peoples. Notwithstanding the various dominations, however, Sicilian ceramics has been able to maintain its own specific and distinct character. Since the Neolithic age, important finds have been discovered. Important was the arrival of the Greeks on our island, who brought news and refined techniques. The greatest development of ceramic manufacturing took place in the Neolithic and Greek period and then faded during the Roman and Byzantine dominations.
The arrival of the Arabs on the island gave a new and strong impulse to the art of ceramics: it was introduced the glazing, a technique coming from the East. This technique consisted of a mixture of substances to be sprinkled on the ceramic body, which vitrifies during cooking. Fundamental was the presence of silicon: this, melting at high temperature with other substances, gives colour to ceramics and makes them waterproof.
In the second half of the 14th century, with the Spanish domination, styles and techniques changed slightly, with the introduction of new colours and in the late sixteenth century and in the early seventeenth century, Sicilian ceramics took on the style of the Italian Renaissance.
Caltagirone: the Sicilian City of Ceramics
The name Caltagirone derives from the Arab term Qal’at al Ghiran, whose literal translation is “Fortress of Vases”.
The city of Caltagirone is closely linked to the history of ceramics, with this term, which derives from the Greek keramos (clay, pottery), are indicated the objects produced by shaping the earth (clay) and subjecting it to cooking. The working of ceramics in the territory of Caltagirone dates back to the Neolithic, as can be seen from the archaeological finds kept in the Regional Museum of Ceramics of Caltagirone.
The imprint of the various peoples who have colonized Sicily over the centuries (Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Swabians, Spanish and French) is also perceived in the processing of ceramics, despite this, the ceramists in their art have always brought out the Sicilianity.
The art of working Sicilian ceramics has been handed down from generation to generation from prehistory to the present day, in the craftsmanship, everything is done by hand from extraction to modelling, the peculiarities of the product depend on the skills of the master potter, his creativity, the attention to detail that is a guarantee of exclusivity of the piece. For this reason, ceramic objects, such as the traditional Sicilian pine cones and as the heads of moro are true works of art.
Many years ago, my sister Jeanette had an injury to her chin. When she was older, she decided to have the scar tissue further removed. The doctor who did the surgery was a Dr. Caltagirone.
I brought with me to USA some beautiful ceramic pieces from Caltagirone some years ago and although I loved the Deruta ceramics, I can say that these two brand names rival each other . They both create astonishing art pieces.
Where can we purchase some of these pieces.