Vintage Italian Calabria Mother Child Terracotta Sculpture Folk Art Maternita 12 For Sale

Vintage Italian Calabrian Maternità Mother & Child SculpturePolychrome Terracotta Folk Art – Calabria, Italy
A beautiful and deeply expressive vintage Italian folk-artsculpture depicting a mother tenderly holding her young child.
Originating from Calabria in southern Italy, this substantialapproximately 12-inch figure is modeled in terracotta / potteryand decorated in a wonderfully earthy polychrome palette.
The mother is shown in traditional-inspired regional dress,wearing a warm ochre skirt, deep red apron, dark bodice,cream blouse and green shawl.
She holds her child closely against her chest, with her largemodeled hands wrapping protectively around the figure.
The intentionally rustic modeling, expressive faces, texturedsurfaces and hand-finished appearance give the sculpturewonderful character and a strong connection to southernItalian folk-art traditions.
RICORDO DI CALABRIA
The piece is associated with the wording:
\"Ricordo di Calabria\"
which translates approximately as:
\"Remembrance of Calabria\" or \"Souvenir of Calabria.\"
RESEARCH & ATTRIBUTION:
Considerable research has been undertaken in an effort toidentify the origin and maker of this unusual sculpture.
Photographs of the piece were submitted to a Calabrianmuseum / cultural institution specializing in the region\'scultural heritage for further examination.
After reviewing the sculpture, the institution specificallyindicated that the figure was not attributable to GiuseppePesa and was not from the Seminara pottery tradition.
Based on their examination of the photographs, they suggestedthat the sculpture appears more likely to have originated froma workshop in the Cosentino / Cosenza area of Calabria.
The specific artist or workshop has not yet been identified,and no unsupported artist attribution is being made in thislisting.
This specialist response is particularly interesting becauseit helps narrow the sculpture\'s probable regional origin withinCalabria while preserving the uncertainty surrounding itsindividual maker.
DETAILS:
Subject: Mother and Child / MaternitàOrigin: Calabria, ItalyProbable Regional Origin: Cosentino / Cosenza areaMaterial: Polychrome Terracotta / PotteryTechnique: Modeled and Hand-PaintedStyle: Italian Folk Art / Regional Art PotteryInscription / Identification: \"Ricordo di Calabria\"Artist / Workshop: UnidentifiedGiuseppe Pesa Attribution: Ruled Out During ResearchSeminara Attribution: Ruled Out During ResearchEstimated Era: Mid-20th CenturyExact Production Year: Not ConfirmedHeight: Approx. 12\" / 30 cmCountry of Origin: Italy
MOTHERHOOD & CALABRIAN FOLK ART
Known in Italian art as \"Maternità,\" the mother-and-childsubject gives this sculpture an emotional quality beyond itsdecorative appeal.
The mother\'s protective pose and traditional-inspired clothingcreate a wonderful representation of motherhood, family andregional life in southern Italy.
Its rustic character is part of its appeal. Rather than thehighly polished appearance of a mass-produced porcelainfigurine, this sculpture has irregular modeling, visibletexture and an earthy hand-finished quality characteristicof regional folk-art pottery.
It would make a particularly meaningful addition to acollection of:
Italian folk artCalabrian regional artItalian terracottaMother and child sculptureMediterranean decorSouthern Italian potteryEuropean folk artItalian heritage pieces
It would also make a thoughtful Mother\'s Day or family heritagegift, particularly for someone with roots in Calabria orsouthern Italy.
CONDITION:
Vintage pre-owned condition with age-related surface wear,finish variation, marks and patina.
The sculpture has a deliberately rustic, hand-modeled andhand-finished appearance. Irregularities associated with itsconstruction and painted surfaces should not automatically beinterpreted as damage.
Please carefully examine all photographs for the most accuraterepresentation of condition, particularly the faces, hands,child, clothing, painted surfaces and base.
The photographs form an important part of the conditiondescription.
A distinctive and evocative piece of Calabrian folk art withan unusually well-researched regional history and a beautifulMaternità / mother-and-child subject.

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