Show I Where th the Beautiful Majol i Majolica ca Comes From From AT A T the l Metropolitan Museum o o oArt I Ik I Art New York City the display 01 ceramics in the galleries galleri s formerly L 1 occupied by the Morgan collection includes includes in in- eludes a beautiful ul panel of Gubbio picture picture pic pic- ture titles representing Biblical subjects subjects sub sub- executed by Maestro Giorgio about 1495 Perhaps of all the great majolica factories of the Italian renaissance renaissance renais renal sance sence that of Gubbio is the best known and the production of Maestro Giorgio Giorgi its founder almost the most highly prized The factories of Deruta and had the distinction of being at ona one onetime time the only two two where 1 w ware re was produced and to Gubbio Gubbie alone belonged the secret c of f the famous famous fa fa- fa- fa ruby lustre which made the productions productions productions pro pro- from Maestro Giorgios Giorgio's bottega bottega bot bot- tega or workshop so much sought after Records show that the freedom of the city of Gubbio was granted t ti tt Maestro Giorgio in lb 1498 Ha He and the two brothers who worl worked world d with him belonged to a noble family of Pavia and chose pottery pottery making as th their thir ir craft because that was an occupation pation which was not considered derogatory to the dignity of ota a noble noble- I man I The earliest pieces emanating from i 1 ithe I the Giorgio workshops were enameled I terra cotta sometimes after th the style of or Luca della delia Robbia but on which th tho famous ruby lustre appears Next pieces ornamented with simple de designs designs designs de- de signs coats of of arms and so on were J made before the period came after 1515 when the beautifully d designed and painted specimens were turned out wh which cl have rendered rende- d the production tic tin tion n of Maestro G Giorgio so famous At this time artists a of repute worked in inthe inthe l the great majolica factories and weL we I known painters canie came to Gubbio and collaborated with Maestro Giorgio in inthe the beautiful productions which wera so foO eagerly sought for In such cases case the effect was added by th the master-craftsman master after the artist hat had painted the scene or design and as a rule the piece would bear the two signatures s. s Th Gubbio majolica is characterized by elaborate arabesque designs and beautifully beat painted figure subjects often there is a figure subject subject sub sub- in the middle with witha a border of ol arabesques round it it |