Cup of Arms
Giovanni Gariboldi
The large cup, resting on a ring foot, is decorated with a relief depicting an elegant composition featuring trophies of ancient arms, including a crest, a bow with arrows, halberds, and shields. The distinctive matte finish, without glazing, highlights the finesse of the modeling, further emphasized by the contrast between the background color and the white of the trophy.
A specimen of the same model (mod. 1901s) was presented by Richard-Ginori at the VII Milan Triennale in 1940, where Giovanni Gariboldi was awarded the diploma of honor. The participation of Richard-Ginori porcelain at this important Milanese exhibition is illustrated in a lengthy article in Domus by Gio Ponti, who, while praising Gariboldi’s work, seems almost to warn him about the risk of over-refinement. An even sharper judgment was expressed in the magazine Emporium by Roberto Papini, who appears to allude precisely to this cup when he reproaches Richard-Ginori for being “proud to revive certain Wedgwood cameos that had been out of fashion for at least a century.”
The Ginori Museum preserves other variants (inv. 3536, 3538, 3540), one of which is monochrome and the others decorated in two colors like this one.
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The large cup, resting on a ring foot, is decorated with a relief depicting an elegant composition featuring trophies of ancient arms, including a crest, a bow with arrows, halberds, and shields. The distinctive matte finish, without glazing, highlights the finesse of the modeling, further emphasized by the contrast between the background color and the white of the trophy.
A specimen of the same model (mod. 1901s) was presented by Richard-Ginori at the VII Milan Triennale in 1940, where Giovanni Gariboldi was awarded the diploma of honor. The participation of Richard-Ginori porcelain at this important Milanese exhibition is illustrated in a lengthy article in Domus by Gio Ponti, who, while praising Gariboldi’s work, seems almost to warn him about the risk of over-refinement. An even sharper judgment was expressed in the magazine Emporium by Roberto Papini, who appears to allude precisely to this cup when he reproaches Richard-Ginori for being “proud to revive certain Wedgwood cameos that had been out of fashion for at least a century.”
The Ginori Museum preserves other variants (inv. 3536, 3538, 3540), one of which is monochrome and the others decorated in two colors like this one.
