PrimoPiano Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass

Beautiful decorative dish in polychrome ceramic, with an irregular shape.   

Decorative dish in polychromed ceramic.

A golden porcelain bottle with the application of hand-modeled white flowers in relief this beautiful piece was designed by the Italian master Gio Ponti and manufactured by Richard Ginori Pittoria di Doccia between 1923 and 1938. This porcelain bottle was originally presented at the 1935 Paris exhibition L'art italien des XIX et XX siècles. The manufacturer brand 'Richard Ginori Pittoria di Doccia' is visible under the base. The design of this piece was documented in the Gio Ponti catalog shaped in close collaboration with the Gio Ponti Archives and its founder Salvatore Licitra, edited by Taschen. The history of the Ginori Manufactory began in Doccia, just a stone's throw away from Florence, when in 1735 Marquis Carlo Andrea Ginori started a porcelain factory which was destined to become a worldwide icon of style. The eighteenth-century is a key century for the development of porcelain in Europe, in this period the first manufactures are born, fed by new styles and international trends. In stately homes, palaces and courtyards, the precious porcelain of the Doccia Manufactory is synonymous with elegance and refinement. The passage from the nineteenth, the century of reason to that of feeling marks a new chapter in the development of artistic taste and the manufacture of porcelain. Florence becomes the scene of a controversy between the academic supporters of the Beautiful ideal and the naturalists promulgators of the beautiful natural Since 1806 the direction of the Manifattura passed to Leopoldo Carlo Ginori Lisci who initiates a process of profound renewal. In 1986 The Manifattura expanded and the Richard Ginori Ceramic Company is born. The tradition of master craftsmen meets new technologies and the creations are perfected thanks to the use of new patents From 1923 to 1933 the artistic direction of the Manifattura was entrusted to Gio Ponti. The master is responsible for introducing highly innovative elements with sensitivity and respect for the taste for the ancient, and for the oriental culture. In 1925 at the Universal Exposition in Paris, the Manifattura and its artistic director were awarded the assignment to both of a Grand Prix. The Manufactory was renewed by relying on the experience of the greatest Italian designers of the time: Franco Albini, Franca Helg, Antonio Piva, Sergio Asti, Achille Castiglioni, Gabriele Devecchi, Candido Fior...

Cutlery silver set for twelve in nickel silver or German silver, this set includes a total of 36 pieces; 12 spoons, 12 forks, and 12 knives with a steel blade. Set designed by Gio ...

Tan France Pick Cutlery silver service for six in nickel silver or German silver, this set includes a total of 18 pieces; 6 spoons, 6 forks, and 6 knives with a steel blade. Set d...

Set of six cups in silver alpaca designed by Gio Ponti for Fratelli Calderoni, 1950s. Manufacturer's brand stamped on the bottom. Sizes 4 x 9 cm each.

Rare ceramic tea service for six in a very elegant light blue shade with decoration refined in pure gold, it was designed by Antonia Campi and manufactured by Laveno Ceramica in Verbano during the early 1950s. This set is composed of six (6) teacups, six (6) tea saucers, one (1) sugar bowl, one (1) teapot, and one (1) milk jug. Measurements: -Six cups 6 x 8 x 5.5 cm (each) -Sugar bowl 9 x 12 x 7 cm -Teapot 19 x 16, 5 x 9.5 cm -Milk Jug 11 x 12 x 7 cm. In 1856 Carlo Caspani, Alessandro Carnelli, and Severino Revelli, three employees of the Richard Ginori ceramics factory in Milano, set up the Società Ceramica C.C.R. making use of a disused building that had been a glass factory near the lakeshore. Production mainly consisted in fine earthenware and fire bricks. One of the key choices for the success of this initiative was an industrial-scale production of low-cost earthenware for domestic use. The manufacture of Laveno was gaining reputation; so that in 1869 part of its activity had to be moved to a new building called “Lago”. In 1883 it adopted a new denomination, Società Ceramica Italiana (with an S.C.I. trademark) that was to become famous. During this period, S.C.I. was led by bright managers: Tommaso Bossi and his successor Luciano Scotti, a graduate in engineering who led the company all the time from 1895 to 1956, raising it to its top level of capacity and production. In 1925 the Mulini plant was built in the Boesio area, where the blends and ''bodies'' were prepared. The Magazzini Generali (a warehouse), were also built and directly connected to the railway network. All the factory sites were interconnected by a “Decauville” railway for transporting materials. Also in 1925 the Verbano plant was built, following an agreement with the German Rosenthal company, for producing porcelain tableware and, later, ceramic insulators. The drive for innovation in production technologies, that took place during the Twenties, was accompanied by an equally intense artistic development. During the twenty's the architect Piero Portaluppi started collaborating with S.C.I. and thanks to Luciano Scotti’s foresight, young Guido Andlovitz, who had entered the company in 1923, was appointed art director in 1925, who introduced a renewal in the style of shapes and decorations, so that towards the end of the 1920s Ceramica di Laveno competed with Richard-Ginori, for the leading position in the ceramic art of Italy. Near the end of the 1930s, collaboration was started with Angelo Biancini, who created a new product line of artisan taste. In the late Forties, the young Antonia Campi joins the company as a decoration worker. Immediately, Guido Andlovitz notes her ability and potential qualities, and moves her into the artistic department. Starting with her 1948 first tiny vase...

The Putrella is a table centerpiece made from a semi-finished industrial product. Its archetypal form and expressive force is a prime example of Enzo Mari’s work. The piece is ma...