Coral pottery
In the fifth century b. C. Arezzo had achieved a high prestige inside the
Etruscan confederation because it was bursting with craftsmen who had few
rivals in the arts application of that time. Ceramics in particular got
some advantage out of the excellent quality of the local clay. When, within
four centuries, the Roman expansion had changed the Etruscan culture so
much that it became unrecognisable, the craftsmen of Arezzo were able to
find, in the modest row material, the reason for their civic achievement
that had already been lost by any other towns of the old confederation.
As a matter of fact, around the middle of the first century the potters
of Arezzo found out and adopted a kind of varnish that gave the handmade
ceramic objects a characteristic which it had never had before: impermeability.That
varnish was so thin to allow craftsmen to mould their pots to the minimum
thickness and therefore to make them very light. Moreover the ceramics looked
much better, because the impalpable coat of vitrified varnish assumed a
red colour, as bright as coral. This is where the name “coral-pot” came
from.The table- service was improved: plates, goblets, cups and glasses
were lighter and more resistant than before. They gained in handiness and
their being completely washable assured a prolonged use, barring accidental
breakages.
The striking business success made it possible to add to the ordinary production
of smooth pots a more refined one with elegant decorations in relief which
soon replaced the very expensive sets of decorated precious metal in patrician's
triclinia and in those of rich people in general.The table-services of Arezzo
soon came into fashion and Plinius, Virgil, Oratio and Martiales commended
them in their writings more than once.The themes and figurations that the
potters of Arezzo preferred to use in their decorations are well documented
in the collection of C. Clinio Mecenate archaeological museum of Arezzo,
at least as regards the main workshop. Among them the pre-eminent place
is given to Marcus Perenniu’s workshop. Scenes of dance, love, music, hunting,
vintage and banquets; then many shapes with geometrical and floral decorations,
together with the object’s lightness, made that production without precedent
among the Mediterranean cultures.In the precious relief production the signature
is written inside a scroll or in a rectangle like a plate, as an integral
part of the decoration.Our production refers back to the Arezzo’s coral-pots
with a collection of moulds derived from the originals that are preserved
in Arezzo’s museum. Therefore the scenes accurate and the style reflects
all the characteristics of Marco Perennio’s production. All our coral pots
are hand made and thanks to our innovative procedure we can cut price close.