Yellow and Green Airbrushed Cachepot Vase by Ceramiche Galvani Pordenone, 1950s

Airbrushed cachepot in yellow and green, made by Ceramiche Galvani Pordenone in the 1950s

Ø 18 cm, h 14 cm

Officially founded in 1811 (although already active in other forms as early as the eighteenth century) by Giuseppe Galvani, the factory spent the nineteenth century producing high-quality everyday ceramics. The true artistic and avant-garde turning point came, however, in the twentieth century (when it became S.A. Galvani in 1933):
In the 1930s, Galvani took part in the Milan Triennials with great success, exhibiting earthenware vases with distinctly modern lines.
The manufactory attracted the interest of famous designers and internationally renowned artists. Collaborations included (occasionally for unique pieces or limited editions) the sculptor Ruffo Giuntini (between 1938 and 1942), the Venetian painter Gino Rossi, and even the Futurist master Giacomo Balla, who designed an entire dinner service for the company.
In 1979, the company was sold to Tognana Ceramiche, later continuing as a small artisan workshop until its final closure in 2000. The municipality of Pordenone acquired the factory's immense collection (more than 17,000 pieces and models) to preserve its historical memory.

Galvani's most immediate and beloved graphic motif is, without a doubt, the rooster. The cockerel mark, stylized or painted freehand with quick, dense brushstrokes, became the company's very symbol and an immensely popular brand throughout Italy.
Earthenware plates, jugs, and soup tureens featuring quick-fill decorations, naïve floral motifs, little birds, or the celebrated cockerel. These are the ceramics that have adorned the tables of Italy's middle class for decades, characterized by warm colors (ochre yellow, deep blue, copper green, and sponged red).
Sculptural vases, amphorae, and statuettes produced between the 1920s and the early 1940s. Here, the forms become geometric, the necks of the vases narrow, matte, satin, or textured glazes appear, and the subjects shift toward stylized female figures, exotic animals, or Rationalist graphics, also presented at the Venice Biennale.