Arnaldo Miniati Pair of Ceramic and Iron Demi-Lune Wall Consoles, Italy, 1959

A pair of painted ceramic demi-lune wall consoles, by ceramist and artist Arnaldo Miniati, signed and dated 1959.
Size: 37 1/4" high x 23" wide x 11 1/4" deep

The demi-lune table tops are supported by painted wrought iron wall mounted bases with fanciful scroll design. The table is a wonderful example exhibiting the skill of the expert ceramist, Arnaldo Miniati. It is a decorative and furnishing piece with a sculptural imprint. In line with the passion for "primitivism" unleashed throughout Europe between the 19th and 20th centuries, the painting recalls the ancient cave paintings with hunting scenes found by archaeologists in prehistoric caves. The colors are bright, the lines few and essential to form the figures of a hunter armed with a spear and two chased animals, through an extreme simplification of the signs.

A similar table, 'La Caccia' (The Hunt) is exhibited at the Borgo Museo in Tuscany as well as the walls of Casa Paloscia, in Tuscany, which also house another hunting scene, also by Miniati, but in monochrome ceramic relief, with some animals depicted while running; the subject is taken from Etruscan art. There is also a fresco of Miniati in a street of the village.

Arnaldo Miniati (Florence 1909 -1979), a painter and ceramist, was born in Florence in 1909. Following WWII, he founded a ceramic laboratory called "Miniati Ceramiche" in Florence, where he created a production of refined pieces alongside artist monotypes inspired by an austere archaism. The "Miniati" manufactory created a production consisting of unique pieces with a sculptural imprint and an archaic flavor and a series of decorative and furnishing objects. In 1951 the company presented its production at the 15th Florence Handicraft Exhibition. Miniati was recognized by the Compagnia del Paiolo, an association that was reborn in the 1950's to "promote and nurture an artistic and cultural atmosphere worthy of Florentine traditions" on the consolidated history of its origins dating back to 1512, as documented by Vasari in 'Lives'. Miniati also participated in the National Faenza Ceramic Competition, 10th edition of 1952 and won the Gubbio Prize in 1960. Strongly linked to the classical style, Miniati paints figuratively, preferring landscapes and still lives as subjects of his works. In this way he developed a 19th century style: his love for classicism is such that he even wrote an essay on the subject entitled, 'Michelangelo's Lack of Influence on Modern Painting', published in the second half of the 1970's. Artist, entrepreneur and cultural activist, Miniati died in 1979, in his hometown.

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