Deruta, Umbria

"The Centuries-old Art of Ceramics"

Historical documents record ceramic works in Deruta already in 1290, but items from archeological excavations and the abundance of ceramic clays in the area point to the existence of a ceramic tradition in the area since much more ancient times. The golden age of the deruta ceramics was the Italian Renaissance, that is the 15th and 16th centuries.
There was a large demand of refined, precious objects, exported by the merchants of the Venice Republic to all European courts. There were over 50 working ovens, and the signatures of famous artists such as Giacomo Mancini ("El Frate"), and Francesco Urbini were well known.
The craft of forging a vase with the help of a wheel, where the worked clay changed into vases and dishes, rose thousands of years ago, appearing first in Mesopotamia and soon spreading to Turkey and reaching Italy in the 7th century BC. After baking and drying, painters and decorators then embellished the clay object, which was then baked again to fix the colors and make them brilliant.
The first baking stage gives the "biscotto", the second gives the "finito". A great experience was necessary in the old times to place each clay object in the proper layer, at the right distance from the fire source, and to guess the right moment when baking should be stopped, while today there are more technological ovens where temperatures and times can be scheduled in advance.