Renaissance Portraits Remixed

An interesting article about Italian photographer Mark Abouzeid posing modern immigrants as masterpiece stars of Renaissance painting. Here is the link to  the Huffingtonpost's page: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/04/renaissance-portraits-reimagined-artist-mark-abouzeid_n_3016572.html

Original portrait of Elisabetta Gonzaga (1504-1505) by Raphael, Uffizi
Gallery, Florence. 

The photographer's idea started as a joke out of his frustration by noticing that Florence looks at its past as a static object. 

My mind went immediately to my blog and me as a doppelganger of a popular ceramic portrait that I found in a ceramic art book. By having my portrait done as a Renaissance lady I felt how anachronistic my past could be if I repeated it as easy as that, sic et simpliciter in Latin. Nevertheless, that's how my story started. I let first the Renaissance period, my classical past, and my family's art heritage flow through me starting from my Bertabella lover's cup. Now it's time to grind everything into a fine powder and build something new. I'm ready!

Detail of my lover's cup painted in 2009 by artist and
friend Romano Ranieri.  

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Original Posts by Roberta Niccacci -

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BEAUTIFUL BRIDES

'IVLIA BELLA' (tr. Julia the Beautiful)
Lover's Cup, Casteldurante, first half of the XVI th century, private coll. 

In the Renaissance period in Italy, gentlemen started the tradition of offering ceramic gifts as a token of their love and devotion and to celebrate their betrothal and any important event in the couple's married life. They were called 'Loving Cups': round ceramic plates with the portrait of the bride-to-be and a flying ribbon with the young lady's name and bella (beautiful) or gentile (kind) inscribed on the ceramic ornament. 

Sometimes the 'Lover's cup' had a painted portrait of the couple. There could also be a written dedication on the ribbon, a saying, or a proverb. 

'UN BEL VOLTO VALE PIU' CHE SENO E ROBA' (tr. A beautiful face is worth more
than breast and possessions),  Lover's cup, Casteldurante,
the first half of the XVI the century  (Hermitage Museum)

The ceramic lover's cup tradition started in Casteldurante, Italy at the end of the 15th century. Casteldurante was a  famous Renaissance ceramic town located in the Le Marche region, known nowadays as Urbania. Soon after this tradition expanded to my ceramic hometown, Deruta. 

Ceramicists had ceramic ladies' portrait samples available in their workshops and lover's cups were made upon special orders by adding custom-made dedications to the selected model. As simple as that. 

'OGINI TEN [...] IENE CHI PO' (tr. ?)  Lover's cup, Casteldurante, 1530-1540 (Hermitage Museum)

In Deruta and other ceramic towns in Italy, the 'Lover's cup' tradition lasted until the 18th century. Lover's cups were commonly known as 'BELLAs plates'. This may be the reason why it was said that men used to come to Deruta to meet their brides. What was the reason for choosing Deruta? After all, there are beautiful young ladies everywhere in Italy and in the rest of the world. It must be some kind of heritage of the BELLA plates. This must the reason. It must be it. 

This thought came to my mind when I met my beloved last year in January with about a thirty years delay. I told him that it was not his fault, he was not informed about this Deruta tradition as he originally comes from Northern Italy: he should have driven towards the river Tiber instead of driving the opposite direction. This is what traditions are for, they make life easier. I was lucky to move to Piegaro and find him myself. I am glad it is never too late and time is a state of mind. Places aren't and I feel lucky that Fortune brought me here at last.                                                                                                                                                                          

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Original Posts by Roberta Niccacci -

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