2019-08-01_Homes_&_Antiques 2

124 Homes & Antiques August 2019

impressiveterracoa army dates

from210-209BC.

ModelMaterial

Theuseofterracoaoweredduring

theItalianRenaissance.‘Sincethe

Renaissanceperiod,artistshave

modelledportraitsinterracoa,’says

LarsTharp,AntiquesRoadshow

expertandceramicshistorian.

Highlyglazedandcoloured

terracoa sculpturewasintroduced

inFlorenceintheearly15thcentury,

withpiecesproducedbyDonatello

andAndreadelVerrocchioamong

others,andspreadacrossEurope.In

the 17th and 18th centuries, fellow

ItaliansGianLorenzoBerniniand

AntonioCanovamasteredthe

materialaswellas notable

Frenchartists.

AccordingtoLars,terracoa

gureswereoriginallyexecutedas

preliminarystudies,butmany

becameartworksinthemselves.‘The

worksof18th-centuryFrenchartists

suchasJean-BaptisteLemoyneand

Jean-AntoineHoudondisplaya

personalimmediacyofsubjectthat

isnottransferabletotheharder

material,’hesays.‘Inthesame

period,poerycentressuchasSèvres

inFranceintroducednelywrought

smallgroupswithallegorical and

mythologicalthemes.’

AnotherFrenchartistofthetime,

Louis-FrançoisRoubiliac,worked

inLondonproducingterracoa

portraitsofGeorgeFridericHandel,

AlexanderPopeandWilliam

Hogarth.‘Let’snotforgettheYixing

stonewares of China,’ adds Lars.

WedgwoodandMintonalso

producedterracoa pieces.

Bythemid19thcentury,terracoa

wasadorningbuildingsinLondon–

thedecorationsonthefaçadesof the

RoyalAlbertHallandSouth

Kensingtonmuseumsfurther

ensuringthepopularityofthis

aordable and easy-to-use material.

‘Terracoa

ornamental

waresbecame

fashionablein the

high Victorian

period.’

‘Theywerehighlyprizedby

Europeantea-drinkersinthe17th

century,arrivingalongwiththetea.’

Terracoa enjoyeda revivalin

19th-centuryartandarchitecture.

‘Terracoa ornamentalwares

becamefashionableinthehigh

Victorianperiod,’saysLars.During

theheightoftheGrandTours,

discoveriesofGreekandRoman

poeryinancientsitespiqued

interestinceramics.Crasmen

becamehighlyadeptatworkingin

terracoa,includingRasmusPeter

IpsenoftheRoyalCopenhagen

Manufacture. Royal Doulton,

2

4

5

3

1

ABOVE1. Mid18th-centuryItalian

terracottareliefof theVirgin& Child,

£POA,NicholasWellsAntiques. 2. Brown

lacqueredandhand-paintedterracotta

Derutavase,1940s,£495,1stDibs.

3. Twolate19th-centuryterracottaplaques
   byRasmusPeterIpsen,£241each,1stDibs.


4. AncientGreekterracottablackwarejug,
   £800,CJMartin& AncientArt.5. Greek
   terracottastatuettec5th-4th-centuryBC,
   £1,100,CJ Martin & Ancient Art.