Walking into Florence’s Sbigoli Terrecotte’s crowded interior can bring to mind a ceramics class, which is exactly what the crafts shop offers in the back room. Dozens of impressive terracotta and glazed ceramic pieces fill the store. Past where customers are allowed to go, unfinished pieces linger and two large kilns stand at the ready. A throwing wheel stands waiting as well, creating visions of students tranquilly working over potential masterpieces. The reality of throwing is much more difficult, which is why learning from local experts is a must.
Sbigoli’s Lorenza Adami is a certified Tuscan Master Craftsperson and is qualified to teach. Both she and her sister Chiara speak English. Their workshops, open to aspiring artisans from all over the world, focus mainly on decorating but on request can focus on working on the wheel.
Sbigoli’s process is very specialized. Attention is focused on the overall design and aesthetic of each work. The family-owned store has a rich history that has been passed down to many generations and that continues on in their classic designs. Sisters Chiara and Lorenza Adami say that their goal is to combine function, Italian tradition and Sbigoli’s own style in their products.
The process of throwing starts with kneading the clay repeatedly to get rid of any lurking air bubbles. Once the clay is properly wedged, it can be put on the wheel. The thrower must center the clay by exerting a firm pressure on the clay as the wheel spins, then can begin to open it. To do this, one touches the tips of their fingers to the middle of the centered clay and slowly but firmly pushes downward. Next the thrower places his or her fingers on the outside and inside of the piece to literally pull the clay up to create the sides of the piece. It’s almost like watching a magic trick, the walls of clay thinning and rising into cylindrical form as if from nothing.
After this step, the thrower can use many different techniques to effect size and shape. The piece is then cut off the wheel and various techniques can be applied even then, such as the addition of handles, or perfecting the bottom rim of the work. After glaze is applied to the piece, it is put in a kiln to fire. There is a multitude of variations and improvisations on this process that create the vast diversity typical of ceramics.
While the Adami sisters don’t personally throw every object, they are very particular about their designs. The women create a sketch or sample which they hand decorate or send to other artisans in Italy. The shop/workshop orders red terracotta clay from suppliers, as opposed to white, because it lends a warmer color to their pieces. The difference between white and red clay is in the amount of iron and the location from which the clay was taken. Once a dish or vase is completed, it is then dipped in glaze ordered from Montelupo, a major Tuscan supplier of glazes for artisans all over Florence. Lorenza explains that they start with a simple white glaze, the better to paint their own designs onto. Then they fire the clay again at a low temperature (about 940°C) process called majolica to produce a finished work.
Sbigoli is inspired by traditional Italian art, according to the pattern established by their family for years. Antonella Chini (Lorenza and Chiara’s mother) created some of the motifs from what she saw in the Tuscan countryside. Other designs were taken from a traditional canon of Italian art and infused with their own aesthetic. Sbigoli constantly strives to blend beauty and function, history and tradition.
Sbigoli Terrecotte has been around for generations and aside from offering classes, the shop carries beautiful sets of traditional Italian-style pottery.
Chiara says that she and Lorenza joined the family business because they “believed in what [their] parents had created and the philosophy that was behind it. [She] loves to help in the process and to continue the tradition,” and both sisters are still committed to this ideal, even in the face of Italy’s current economic downturn.
When asked what her favorite part of her work is, Lorenza replied that she likes to create for “the pleasure of making” in her spare time. She delights in making something from nothing, a process that gives her a sense of being concrete—of having a physical place in the world. She never stops learning and insists that learning keeps herself and other artisans in contact with the art world and the world in general.
The opportunity to have access to the secrets behind this incredible craft from the Adami family is one that can’t be missed. (ashley mixson)