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Signed 1920s Italian maiolica plate made by Ferruccio Mengaroni (1875-1925) - master ceramist from Pesaro, Italy. He is the artist whose work was already famous but gained even greater notoriety when he was killed by one of his own creations, the Mengaroni Medusa. It crushed him to death when he attempted to catch it and keep it from being destroyed when it slipped from the grasp of workers attempting to display it at an exhibition hall in Monza. This plate has the same decoration on the rim that other pieces of pottery from that same time and that we’re also made by Mengaroni have on them. Also, on the bottom, in addition to the signature that one sees on other pieces that were created in his workshop, but not necessarily by him, there is to the right of the shop signature the beginning of the word Mengaroni. The first three letters are very visible, the rest of the word has been obscured.
The plate measures 9 1/2 inches in diameter. It is in extremely good condition especially for a piece of 100 years old pottery. There are no chips or cracks anywhere on it. On the back there are three spots that have no glaze where it sat in the kiln, and there are also Two spots on the rim that are missing glaze that were obviously done before it was glazed. On the front there is some crazing if you hold it to the light correctly. The paint is vibrant and deep and looks beautiful. I am pretty sure that the design is of a bird of paradise or a peacock, but I don’t know what kind of leaves are around it. It’s really beautiful and definitely would make a wonderful addition to anybody’s Mengaroni collection.
