Minghetti Ceramics | Sculptural Centerpiece

Large ceramic centerpiece made by the Minghetti Manufactory of Bologna and datable to the 1950s-60s. The object presents a free and elongated form, set on an irregular, wavy profile. The rim is wavy and slightly thickened, with a continuous plastic trend that gives the whole a strongly dynamic and sculptural character.The inner surface is treated with lustrous glaze with iridescent reflections, in brown and violet tones with iridescent metallic effects, within which decorative interventions with golden reflections emerge. The slight ribbing and undulations of the modeling accompany the development of the decoration and contribute to the luminous rendering of the surface, enhanced by the effect of the luster and the chromatic variations of the glaze.In terms of formal characteristics and treatment of the material, the object fits into the renewal of Minghetti production after World War II, when the historic Bolognese manufactory began a phase of experimentation aimed at expanding the traditional repertoire. In these years ceramic production moved toward freer plastic solutions, with increasing attention to research on glazes, surface effects and the use of metallic reflections, in tune with modernist taste and the trends in Italian ceramic design between the 1950s and 1960s.The centerpiece, also because of its significant dimensions (70 × 35 cm; h 14), is configured as a decorative object with a strong formal presence, conceived more as a plastic and ornamental table or sideboard element than as a simple functional container. The combination of organic modeling, fluid decoration and lustrous surface highlights the desire to integrate ceramic tradition and contemporary research, characteristic of Minghetti's artistic production in the period of renewal of the second half of the 20th century.