Making Beauty

The porcelain of Doccia made its mark on the history of artistic manufactory with its refined production inspired by antique masterpieces. Rich with illustrations, the catalogue was published to accompany the exhibition staged by the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, providing useful tools for visitors and readers, enabling them to reconstruct and examine the development of the artefacts of this particular production technique, in general, and specifically to trace the history of the Doccia manufactory's success. The essays included are divided into two parts: the first reconstructs the history of the manufactory opened by the Marquis Ginori in 1735 and the art produced in studios of porcelain. The second provides a series of case studies dedicated to the more interesting themes regarding the reproduction in porcelain of great ancient sculptures, as well as some more significant works realised by the manufactory, like the Tempietto of Cortona or the great Fireplace. The book concludes with a series of entries elaborating on the 17 works that were featured in the exhibition. Essays by Alvar Gonzales Palacios, Tomaso Montanari, Cristina Gnoni, Dimitri Zikos, Marino Marini, Cristiano Giometti, Cristina Maritano; Entries by Daniele Lauri and Maria Persona.