Antique Grottaglie Plate, 1800s
ambiantA white-glazed large platter from Grottaglie, Apulia, found in southern Italy.
Unlike the thick, rustic craftsmanship typically seen in folk pottery from the region, this piece features a thin and shallow design.
Perhaps because of this, it gives a quiet and sophisticated impression.
Opportunities to encounter such pieces locally are quite rare, making this one particularly captivating among the everyday ceramics of Grottaglie.
- Size
- φ31 × H2 cm
- Country
- Italy
- Origin
- Grottaglie, Puglia
- Estimated age
- 19th century
- No.
- AN-8094
Robba Bianca
"Robba bianca," meaning "white things" in Italian, is a significant category in the ceramic history of Grottaglie, Puglia, in Southern Italy. It symbolizes the technological maturity and refinement of lifestyle culture since the late 16th century.
Its foundation lies in a production system connected to the Majolica technique, which involves applying an opaque white glaze containing tin oxide (tin-glaze) and completing the piece through two firings. However, unlike the ornate Majolica known for its painted decorations, Robba Bianca suppresses decorativeness, positioning itself as a regional and practical evolution that finds value in the form of the vessel itself and the texture of the white glaze.
The beauty of this style lies in the contrast between the strong red earth (terra rossa) nurtured by the Puglia land and the soft white glaze that embraces it. The warmth of the clay faintly perceived beneath the glaze layer, or the reddish-brown clay body that peeks through the rim and foot after years of use, quietly tells the story of this land's unique expression of white.
Location
Grottaglie, Puglia / ItalySIMILAR AVAILABLE PIECES
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