Maiolica in Renaissance Venice: Ceramics and Luxury at the Crossroads

The Gardiner Museum in Toronto hosts an exhibition called "Global Luxury in Renaissance Venice," which explores the role of maiolica in the luxury objects made in Venice and imported into the city. The exhibition highlights the medium's connection to other objects, such as Islamic metalwork and Venetian glass, and discusses the circulation of artefacts and the migration of ornament. The book addresses works made in the workshops of Jacomo da Pesaro and Domenego da Venezia and suggests a connection between the rise of villeggiatura and the ascent of Venice's maiolica industry.

Format: Hardback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 25 November 2021
Publisher: Hirmer Verlag

An extraordinary exploration of Venetian maiolica takes place within a dynamic setting characterized by hybridity and exchange. This artistic medium, introduced by migrant potters around 1500, provides a distinctive gateway into the material world of Venice, shaped by the Mediterranean trade and the local production of luxury goods.

This exhibition catalog delves into the multifaceted relationship of maiolica with a wide array of objects, including Islamic metalwork and Venetian glass. Accompanying an exhibition held at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto, Global Luxury in Renaissance Venice explores the central role of maiolica within the vast spectrum of luxury items produced in Venice and imported into the city. It highlights the medium's significance at the crossroads of cross-media and cross-cultural exchanges. Thematic discussions delve into the circulation of artifacts, the migration of ornamentation, the potter's workshop and artistic lineage, and the position of maiolica within the material culture of splendor that defined the elite interiors of Venetian society.

The book addresses works created in the flourishing workshops of Jacomo da Pesaro and Domenego da Venezia, and proposes a connection between the rise of villeggiatura in the mid-sixteenth century and the ascendance of Venice's maiolica industry.

This captivating exploration of Venetian maiolica offers a profound insight into the city's rich cultural heritage, highlighting the intricate interplay between materiality, artistry, and global trade in the Renaissance period.

Weight: 922g
Dimension: 259 x 202 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783777435770