Deruta Ceramics Manufacturing

A craftsman's care for handmade products

Sambuco Mario & C. currently produce more than 130 lines of decorations; all manufacturing processes are performed only by hand and there is ample capability for creating new decorations, even personalised to customer request. Alongside classic Deruta design, there is also a series of decidedly innovative ornamentation that adheres to contemporary aesthetic trends.

Several special decorations require etching of the newly-made product. This is the case of the style inspired by Byzantine mosaics.

The mosaic is a floor or wall decoration made up of many small, variously coloured cubes, called tessera, or of fragments of various shapes of glass paste, terracotta, etc., bound in place by mortar, cement mixed with water or mastic.

Mosaic attained its greatest moment during the era of Byzantine painting. Examples of its beauty are to be seen in the mosaics of the churches of Ravenna, Constantinople, Salonika, Kios, Venice, Palermo, Cefalu, etc., whose hallmarking feature is the background, which is usually gold.

Research brought about the creation of mosaic-effect majolica: the so-called "Byzantine-style". It is technically possible to obtain these results with a sharp steel tip that marks out a predefined pattern that is etched onto the surface of the newly created object, which is still soft: the result is an image that resembles an authentic mosaic.

To complete the item, three firings are required: the first phase is undertaken after the object is etched; the second phase after colouring and the third after the application of gold. When the kiln is opened, after this final phase, the craft product that appears before us glows with light and priceless contrasts because of the splendour of the gold and the other colours.

One type of lustre application is called the "Rubino" style, which is achieved by blending a classic lily and flower decoration with ruby red lustre that acts as a background. The entire effect is enhanced with a gold finish.

Lastly, the Deruta company let itself be charmed by the influence of neighbouring Assisi, so a series of religious articles were included in the product range, offered with the etched "Tau" symbol typical of the Franciscan order. In this sector there is an extensive range of items for use in the liturgy and for altar furnishings. Altar services have been commissioned by Russian convents and for Papal visits to various locations.

Deruta's historic pottery is famous the world over for its decorated plates, cups, majolica jars and countless other forms of object that depict various expressions of top quality painting. Examples are on display in the world's greatest museums and precisely one of these prestigious museums, Deruta's own ceramics museum, acknowledged Sambuco production, and displays one of its works, winner of the first Ceramist Competition held in Deruta in 1991, stating as follows: "Your opus, in its shape and in its decoration, respects and consolidates Deruta's artistic tradition through an intelligent commitment to innovation".