Art Deco Vase by F.A.C.I. Ceramics, Civita Castellana, 1940s

Art Deco multicolored ceramic vase with flowers, made by F.A.C.I. of Civita Castellana in the 1940s

Ø cm 18 h cm 30

F.A.C.I. (Fabbrica Artistica Ceramiche Italiane) was one of the most important historic manufacturers in Lazio’s ceramics district, operating in Civita Castellana (Viterbo) from 1926 to 1967.
F.A.C.I.’s production belongs to a distinctly proto-industrial, refined Art Deco and Futurist tradition linked to the nearby Roman school.
The factory was founded in 1926 by ceramicist Carlo Guerrieri and entrepreneur Adolfo Brunelli. Shortly after its foundation, the “Volpato” company provided larger premises and kilns on Via Ferretti in Civita Castellana, transforming F.A.C.I. into a joint-stock company. The manufacturer achieved immediate commercial success, regularly exhibiting at the Milan Trade Fair (from 1927 onward) and even at the Leipzig Fair in 1930.

F.A.C.I.’s production is renowned for combining artisanal expertise (hand turning) with modern, serial decorative techniques: the manufacturer’s distinctive feature, especially during the 1930s, was the use of an airbrush combined with stencils. This technique made it possible to create velvety shading, geometric blocks of color, and highly “modern” graphics.
Under the guidance of Carlo Guerrieri, F.A.C.I. produced a series of avant-garde vases decorated with seaplanes, speedboats, smokestacks, and dynamic geometric designs in the full Futurist style, now highly sought after at design auctions.
In addition to functional objects (the 1950s tea and coffee services are particularly wonderful), the factory produced large vases decorated with relief figures, cherubs, floral motifs, or scenes with animals scratched into the surface.

During the Second World War, the factory suffered extremely heavy bombing that almost completely destroyed its historic kilns, machinery, and much of its warehouse stock. This event made pieces from its golden period (1926–1939) extremely rare on the market.
After the war, the factory was rebuilt, moving toward a style more closely aligned with the tastes of the 1950s and 1960s (textured surfaces, polychrome glazes, and details in pure gold), until its definitive closure in 1967.