Yes, thrifting is fun, but did you know it can also be educational?
I've been going through some of my finds and it's amazing how many of them have origins in other countries. It's makes me want to find out a little bit more about them and where they came from.
Take this red chicken pitcher I found at a local consignment store. The sticker on the bottom says it's from the Republic of San Marino and it's marked SA Ceramiche Titano.
The glaze work done on the rooster is just beautiful!
Now, I have no idea where San Marino is, so I decided to look it up...
According to Wikipedia, the Republic of San Marino "...is an enclaved microstate surrounded by Italy situated on the Italian Peninsula on the north-eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. Its size is just over 61 km2 (24 sq mi) with an estimated population of over 30,000. Its capital is the City of San Marino. San Marino has the smallest population of all the members of the Council of Europe..."
After a little more research on the internet I discover that San Marino is internationally known for two products - postage stamps and pottery. I found this on a website (Italian Pottery Marks) with a posting by the administrator, Walter Del Pellegrino:
"Unadorned simple utilitarian pottery such as cups, plates, washbasins, etc., have been produced in San Marino since its inception seventeen hundred years ago but artistically decorated wares did not make their appearance until the mid twentieth century. In 1955 the government took notice of this new industry growing in its midst and to its credit decided to help promote it by creating an International Exhibition of Modern Ceramics. From June through October of that year the exhibition took place at the Kursaal Congress Center and met with great international press coverage."
Upon further reading, I see that the company, Titano, was established in 1952 and produced pottery up until 1981. The company was named after the mountain that the city of San Marino was built upon. It was established by six employees of the Marmaca factory (1947-1964), the most important ceramics factory in the history of the Republic of San Marino.
I found some pictures online of the beautiful Titano pottery here:
San Marino Ceramics
It seems from looking at the gallery, that the black and deep lava red color of my rooster is characteristic of San Marino pottery.
Here is a picture of a commemorative stamp celebrating the ceramic artwork of San Marino.
Now that I've done all this research and haven't seen anything similar to this little Titano rooster pitcher online anywhere, I'm finding it hard to part with. I think it's found a new home on my kitchen bookshelf!
If you have children, sharing the background of your finds, either domestic or foreign, would be an interesting thing to do with them, as it would teach them geography and history in a way that is enjoyable.
I hope to share with you in my next post some pictures of some of my favorite thrift store and flea market finds from other countries.
Have you ever been curious about an object that you have found enough to want to run a "background" check?
I've been going through some of my finds and it's amazing how many of them have origins in other countries. It's makes me want to find out a little bit more about them and where they came from.
The glaze work done on the rooster is just beautiful!
Now, I have no idea where San Marino is, so I decided to look it up...
According to Wikipedia, the Republic of San Marino "...is an enclaved microstate surrounded by Italy situated on the Italian Peninsula on the north-eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. Its size is just over 61 km2 (24 sq mi) with an estimated population of over 30,000. Its capital is the City of San Marino. San Marino has the smallest population of all the members of the Council of Europe..."
After a little more research on the internet I discover that San Marino is internationally known for two products - postage stamps and pottery. I found this on a website (Italian Pottery Marks) with a posting by the administrator, Walter Del Pellegrino:
"Unadorned simple utilitarian pottery such as cups, plates, washbasins, etc., have been produced in San Marino since its inception seventeen hundred years ago but artistically decorated wares did not make their appearance until the mid twentieth century. In 1955 the government took notice of this new industry growing in its midst and to its credit decided to help promote it by creating an International Exhibition of Modern Ceramics. From June through October of that year the exhibition took place at the Kursaal Congress Center and met with great international press coverage."
Upon further reading, I see that the company, Titano, was established in 1952 and produced pottery up until 1981. The company was named after the mountain that the city of San Marino was built upon. It was established by six employees of the Marmaca factory (1947-1964), the most important ceramics factory in the history of the Republic of San Marino.
I found some pictures online of the beautiful Titano pottery here:
San Marino Ceramics
It seems from looking at the gallery, that the black and deep lava red color of my rooster is characteristic of San Marino pottery.
Here is a picture of a commemorative stamp celebrating the ceramic artwork of San Marino.
Now that I've done all this research and haven't seen anything similar to this little Titano rooster pitcher online anywhere, I'm finding it hard to part with. I think it's found a new home on my kitchen bookshelf!
If you have children, sharing the background of your finds, either domestic or foreign, would be an interesting thing to do with them, as it would teach them geography and history in a way that is enjoyable.
I hope to share with you in my next post some pictures of some of my favorite thrift store and flea market finds from other countries.
Have you ever been curious about an object that you have found enough to want to run a "background" check?
Cute rooster! San Marino is known for their pottery, huh - now I learned something new too :-)
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize that Italy has 2 sovereign states; the Vatican and San Marino. I guess one is never too old to learn!
ReplyDeleteI love the research! It's just one of the reasons I seek out vintage treasures....
ReplyDeleteWow, I had no idea! :) Great post - so educational!!
ReplyDeleteThat rooster is stunning! And oh yes, I am constantly researching things that I find - normally it's ephemera or photos or slides...but I LOVE to do a little Nancy Drew-ing. - Eartha Kitsch or "Jack" from FB. : )
ReplyDelete