Notes On Venetian Ceramics

On the history of Venetian Ceramics very little authentic information has yet been published. Cavalier Vincenzo Lazari, who, in 1859, compiled a Catalogue Raisonn^* of the Correr Museum at Venice, deals more fully with the subject than any other Author I have met with. Of the Majolica manufactories of the Venetian Territory he writes as follows : — " On the subject of the Potteries of Venice, we know from the manuscript of Piccolpassof that the Duran- tine Master, Francesco or Cecco di Pieragndlo del Vasaro, had established a furnace in that city in 1545, and had taken with him his father-in-law, Giovanni Antonio da Pesaro. Mr. Rawdon Brown in his valuable preface to the " Calendar of State Papers relating to English afiairs, existing in the Archives of Venice,** vol. 1, page vii, mentions that this very interesting and instructive Museum was formed by Teodoro Correr, who was bom in 1750, and in early life filled many important offices under the Republic, which it Was his lot to survive many years. He died in 1830, having bequeathed his magnificent collection to the Municipality of Venice. t Piccolpasso of Castel Durante, a Ceramic painter of the 16th century, who wrote some Memoirs of his art, the MS. of which is now in the library of the South Kensington Museum. They were published at Rome in 1 857, under the title of "Tre libri delle arte del Vasajor" — A French edition, translated by M. C. Popelyn, was published in Paris, 1860.