The Artisans

Ceramic artist Roberto Cambi is a name of reference in contemporary Italian ceramic art. He has been exhibiting successfully since the late 1970s, after obtaining his diploma at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna. Cambi's practice is very eclectic and delves in different techniques, but is often referred to as "pop and humoristic". His playful works are created focusing on the interaction of ceramics with their surrounding space. Yet, although his installations are mainly site-specific, due to their flexible nature they can easily adapt to any dimension and space.

Simone Crestani is a young luminary when it comes to glass. His aesthetic tends toward time-honored artistic values – balance, elegance, grace – yet his creations are complete novelties in the glassart world. Simone had the privilege of growing up close to Venice and doing his apprenticeship with expert glassmith Massimo Lunardon. Many of his creations can be considered part of a contemporary “Cabinet of Curiosity” where nature is not defaced but respected by reproducing its essence in fragile transparent shapes.

One of the youngest master glassmiths on the Venetian island of Murano, Alberto Striulli dedicates himself to continuing the city's 700 years of glass blowing history. His prowess spans from classic chandeliers to a wide range of contemporary tableware and "glassart" pieces. His signature design is probably the "rigadin", a straight ribbed pattern achieved by blowing incandescent glass into a rudimentary mold called "bronzin". Striulli's creations are certified by Promovetro Consortium, the Murano glass authority ensuring that artisans follow traditional techniques.

Founded in Florence in 1856, Giulio Giannini and Sons is one of the most ancient active bookbinding workshops in the world. The workshop is now run by 6th generation family members, in particular Maria, in a tiny shop near Palazzo Pitti, in the heart of the Oltrarno, Florence craftsmanship heaven. Giannini bookbinders use parchment decorated with gold leaf and hard covers in colored leather, taking inspiration from models that go back to the 14th century. Emblematic of an epoch, Giannini contributed to define the “Florentine Style” in the history of bookbinding.

Award-winning Bottega ND Dolfi specializes in maiolica pottery. Founded in 1941 by Giovanni Dolfi in a historic workshop in Montelupo, a hamlet on the Tuscan hills, the atelier continued with Silvano, who still creates internationally-acclaimed pieces, and is now run by his daughters Daria and Natalia. Master craftsmen keep traditional techniques alive while experimenting with materials and designs. Each piece is based on originals without becoming a replica, but retaining the unique quality and character of one-off productions.

Il Bronzetto, an historic Florentine company is specialized in the hand-made production of high quality furnishing, accessories and lighting in brass and bronze since 1963. Simone, Pierfrancesco and their cousin Michelangelo inherit from the founder Antonio Calcinai the knowledge of materials and their processing techniques producing with creativity and high professionalism, unique and quality artisan artefacts. Il Bronzetto offers a wide range of styles, from classic to modern up to the striking contemporary design, as the Brass Brothers & Co. collection. Il Bronzetto can also carry out custom-made projects following the client from design to creation of the final product, aided on one side by the manufacturing expertise and experience, on the other by the use of technology to create items with high quality standards.

The historic Murano glass furnace Ongaro & Fuga was founded in 1952 by Franco Fuga and his wife Tullia Ongaro,two Murano glass masters descended from a long line of prominent glassmaking families whose names were added to the Book of Murano in 1600. Presently run by their sons Giuliano and Francesco, the company is renowned worldwide for its Venetian-style glass mirrors created exclusively by hand using a perfect balance of modern and traditional techniques. The furnace also creates custom pieces in collaboration with international designers and artists to suit all decors.

Over a hundred years ago, in 1902, grandfather Pampaloni founded a workshop that would become one of the most prestigious silver factories in Florence, just a short walk from Palazzo Vecchio. Their difficult labor still achieves impressive results, thanks to innovative design and traditional techniques coupled with the skilled hands of Gianfranco and Francesco Pampaloni and their busy machines. Like their ancestors, they respect machines, maintaining that "handmade" is not better per se. Artisans achieve their best when coupling their skilled hands with the aid of machines.

Florentine Paola Staccioli is a ceramist with unique artistic abilities, maybe inspired by her literature studies. She decided to dedicate herself to pottery after some experiences within applied arts, in particular batik and glass. She creates clay objects that support decorative and pictorial elements using the luster technique. The results are unique, impossible to replicate even by the artisan herself. Her works featured in exhibitions in Japan, Germany, France, as well as notable Florentine institutions including the Uffizi Museum (2012) and Palazzo Pitti (2010).

Pagliai is a Florentine family bottega now in its third generation. This historic silversmith workshop has in fact been open since the 1950s, when it was founded by Orlando Pagliai in the basement of a famous convent. Later, the atelier moved to the current location in the Oltrarno, where many other historical silversmiths work. The perfection of Pagliai's production has earned international recognition since the 1960s, when Tiffany & Co. commissioned Orlando Pagliai the production of different silver pieces, some of which are still reproduced and are on offer here.

Giberto Arrivabene was raised by strong female figures in Palazzo Papadopoli, Venice, surrounded by frescoes of Giambattista Tiepolo and other artists. The context in which he grew up had a great impact on his unique aesthetic sense. Love for glass and craftsmanship is at the heart of his work. Giberto creates each piece starting first with a watercolor sketch and then handing it to expert glass blowers carvers from the glass capital Murano. These true artists are entrusted with the difficult work of engraving designs of any kind.

“First came the egg!” Mario Bottiglieri was born in 1964 in Naples. After starting a degree in Architecture, he quit it to pursue his two major passions, design and Naples, in a more practical way. Expressive and conceptual, Bottiglieri is a well-established interior designer. Mario experiments with furniture and decorative objects blending Neapolitan traditions and a contemporary concepts and style. His work is now a reference when it comes to home décor, the EGG being the signature object of his artistic creations.

Costanza Paravicini handcrafts original decorative and functional dinner plates from her laboratory, which she opened in the early 90s. Now she works alongside her daughter, Benedetta Medici, and continues to bring to life handmade and one-off decorative objects for the table. Paravicini's hand-painted designs or hand-applied serigraphs are always under glaze, so that the colors do not fade and are non-toxic. This technique is very difficult and no one else works this way nowadays, but the plates that come out of the ovens are incredibly bright and shiny.

Bottega d’Arte Gatti Ceramica prides itself on its permanent search for innovative techniques and design, proved by a splendid collection. When Riccardo Gatti founded it in 1928, he was already a celebrated ceramist in Faenza, because of his skilled hand. But his talent was recognized also on a national level, as he exhibited in major establishments as the Milan Triennale, the Ceramics Museum in Faenza, and the Venice Biennale. Today, Ceramica Gatti continues to handcraft beautiful pieces on the wake of its founder and the centuries-long ceramic tradition of Faenza.

A true passion for the craft is behind the unique lines and aesthetic of the ceramics by I Borbone di Capodimonte. Capodimonte is a hill in the heart of Naples where, in 1739, King Charles II founded the Royal Ceramics Factory beside his palace. Today the workshop is lead by Antonio Fullin Mollica, who followed the footsteps of his father and grandfather. The uniqueness and perfection of Capodimonte's creations have also been proved by auctions at Sotheby's and Christie's.

Florentine wood carvers Fiorenzo Bartolozzi and Giuseppe Maioli met in 1938 and, soon after, from their friendship stemmed a fruitful artistic collaboration that made their Bottega d'Arte one of the leading wood carving and restoration workshops in the world. 70 years later the atelier remains internationally renowned, attracting the attention of the most discerned commissioners around the world. Prestigious examples include works for the Quirinal, the Italian President's palace in Rome, for the Arab Emirates Palaces and, most recently, for the Kremlin in Moscow.

Marco Castorina is the heir of an ancient family of carvers, a reference for the prestigious Florence wood artisan guild since 1895. His careful work and research led the shop to be considered unique in its field, becoming a landmark for architects and interior designers, with more than 5.000 items in continuous evolution. The knowledge of the Castorina family is handed down from father to son since the beginning of their activity to safeguard the Florentine heritage.

Galleria Romanelli is one of the oldest sculpture studios still active in the world, having been founded in 1860. Its incredible building is set in the Oltrarno, the artistic heart of Florence, and originally belonged to Lorenzo Bartolini, a great Italian sculptors of the 19th century. Sculptures made by several generations of the Romanelli family have, since long, been acknowledged worldwide. Today, the Gallery keeps catering for art lovers, collectors, and designers looking for unique artworks, thanks to a team of skilled sculptors lead by Raffaello Romanelli.

The traditional Tuscan passion for ceramics goes back for generations in the Ceccarelli family. This genuine passion emerges through the raw material shaping it into expertly-modeled and prestigious ceramics. The Ceccarelli ceramists like to say that the result is the witness of their efforts. Indeed, the typical irregularities distinctive of manual labour, together with the complexity of the finishes, obtained in 10 different manufacturing steps, are at the core of their distinctive style.

Established after the end of WW II, Fratelli Lisi is a family-owned silversmith workshop in Florence. Lisi artistic silver pieces are defined in particular by their realistic quality as well as a flair for nature and wild life, although usually retaining also a functional value. Fratelli Lisi's handmade silverware is a repeated playful exercise of exceptional true-to-life detailing. This attitude derives from the origins of the workshop: in a time of need and mass production, the Lisi brothers were among the first to develop unique objects and techniques.