(c) 2016 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston

Fontebasso

Italian, active 1750 - 1862

BiographyThe Fontebasso was a ceramics factory in Treviso , founded by the family in the mid- eighteenth century .

Absorbed by Tognana in 1980 , survives as a trademark of the same ("Andrea Fontebasso 1760").
History

Founder of the family was Jerome, which you ignore the data. Bocaler (manufacturer of mugs) with a small workshop at the convent of the Ursulines , came in 1752 , when he signed with other artisans a petition complaining about the trade in the city latesini source of Bassano .

The business underwent a major expansion with John, probably son of the former. He was responsible for the opening of a new factory in the area of San Francisco , where they produced earthenware "use English" and experiments were performed as part of china . From this period dates the oldest extant artifact, a porcelain cup with lid and plate, decorated with oval landscapes inside and marked "FF Treviso in 1799"; is preserved in the British Museum in London .

At death the management passed to his sons Andrew and Joseph, who are owners of the company since 1827 . This date is in fact recorded on a flat earthenware exposed to the Civic Museums of Treviso , decorated by Gaetano Negrisolo with a representation of the fair of St. Luke; this painter collaborated with Fontebasso until the 1830s , when he moved to Milan . During the management of the two brothers, the factory is specialized in the production of small objects like boxes and cups with saucers, characterized by simple lines neoclassical and floral ornaments, pastoral scenes, military figures, landscapes.

By 1840 they were made ??two busts celebration of the Austrian Emperor Francis I and Ferdinand . Under the rule of the Habsburg Fontebasso obtained several awards: from 1814 to 1866 had the title "Imperial Royal Privileged Factory" and in 1825 was visited by some members of the family Imperial; brothers also got two silver medals, in 1825 for the pottery and in 1831 for the porcelain.

Joseph died in 1852 , Andrea opened the company with other shareholders. Likely, he died shortly after leaving his share to his son Fausto. In this period the Fontebasso embraced the serial production and entered the overseas market by manufacturing counterfeit ceramics Wedgwood . On the other hand continued the production of pottery, and some specimens ensued appreciations to the exhibition of Florence of 1861 .

In 1862 Fausto died and the company passed to the shareholder Carlo De Sordi. The Fontebasso retained the original brand to the present day; by 1980 is part of the group Tognana.

Person TypeInstitution

Last Updated8/7/24

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