Casteldurante, Urbania and ceramics

In the 16 th century, Casteldurante, along with Pesaro and Urbino, was producing some of the finest majolica of the Renaissance, distinguishing itself from Faenza and other Italian cities for the inventiveness of its decorations and the finesse of the pictorial-narrative genre called “istoriato”. At the time, over 150 majolica producers worked in the Metauro town and over 40 kilns were operating for Italian and European clients. Many Casteldurante craftsmen travelled all over Europe to teach their skills. Cipriano Piccolpasso wrote “The 3 Books of the Art of the Ceramist” in 1548 which laid down the rules and shared secrets about the ceramic craft.

Still today Urbania has a strong and lively production of majolica in its local workshops. In 1994 it was acknowledged as a “Production Area of Artistic and Traditional Ceramics” (first municipality in the Marche – Law no.188/90) and has a prestigious DOC certification for its own ceramics and is a member of the AICC (Italian Association of Ceramic Cities).
In the 16 th century, thanks to the legacy of Raphael, to engravings and etchings by famous artists and the influence of painters and humanists of Urbino’s ducal court, the ceramics of Casteldurante reached every corner of Europe.

Today there are examples to be found in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Louvre in Paris and the Metropolitan in New York. Urbania took part in 1997 in the Tourism Expo in Leipzig (Germany) and in 2007 in Prague. Examples of Urbania’s majolica are to be found in the most prominent art galleries and international tourism and culture fairs.

The purchase of a piece of Urbania majolica represents a precious souvenir of the town and is a sign of appreciation for the centuries old artistic tradition.