Archivio della Ceramica Sestese

About the museum

The Archivio della Ceramica Sestese was founded in 1989 on the initiative of the Municipality of Sesto Fiorentino, to promote the manufacturing history of the area and of the many craft firms that rose to prominence in the Italian ceramics scene between the late 19th century and the Second World War. Since only fragmentary records survived, the Municipality appealed to citizens to photograph objects and documents. Many responded, and some deposited original documents, so the archive grew “from the bottom up” as a collective heritage.

In the 1990s the last owners of the Fantechi and Ciulli manufactories, by then inactive, entrusted the archive with what remained in the old premises: plaster models and moulds, sketches and catalogues. Other collections followed over time. Today the archive holds about 3,000 sketches and pouncing patterns, more than 2,400 plaster models and moulds, and about 3,000 photographs of production at the Richard-Ginori manufactory in the 1930s.

The Via Savonarola site comprises three exhibition rooms, as well as the plaster storerooms and the office where period catalogues, sketches and photographs are kept. One room hosts thematic exhibitions and ceramics from various manufactories of the 1940s and 1950s. The room on the manufactories displays statuettes, vases and sacred images in plaster, and the third illustrates the stages of production with educational routes, from the model to the mould, the biscuit firing and the glazing.

Highlights

• More than 2,400 plaster models and moulds from Sesto's manufactories
• About 3,000 sketches and pouncing patterns for ceramic decoration
• Photographs of the Richard-Ginori manufactory in the 1930s
• Educational route on ceramic production, with a modeller's bench
• Plasters inspired by the works of the Della Robbia

Permanent exhibitions

• Sala delle manifatture – Plaster models and moulds from the Colonnata, Ciulli, Fantechi and La Perla manufactories: statuettes, vases, columns and sacred images.
• Sala sulla lavorazione della ceramica – Educational route through the stages of production, from model to mould, biscuit and glazing, with an early 20th-century modeller's bench.

Founded

1989

Operated by

Comune di Sesto Fiorentino (ufficio Attività produttive e SUAP)

Admission & discounts

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Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

A regional tourism portal lists the archive as accessible; the official website provides no details.

Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

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Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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