“The adventure of a ceramic piece that enters the kiln as amorphous and comes out of it brightly clothed is a thing of exciting joy, a blurred line between the senses and beauty. It is like a holiday in a world that is more enchanting than magical, where the joy of work finds its value again. This is why I would advise every sculptor to occasionally dedicate some time to ceramics.”
—Fausto Melotti, 1947
Fausto Melotti's exquisite ceramic jewellery testifies to the artist's polygonal and eclectic approach not only to ceramic art, but to all his creative endeavours. Crafted from uniquely shaped polychrome glazed ceramic beads, Melotti's necklaces and earrings reflect his search for the magical and poetic, as well as the liberating joy of working with ceramics, which he advised every sculptor to devote some time to. They are among his fantastical and marvellous artefacts, with which Melotti re-emerged in an atmosphere of newfound artistic freedom after the long years of World War II.
In her 1948 Domus article ‘Il mago Melotti’ (‘Melotti, the magician’), penned after a visit to the artist's studio, Lisa Ponti recalled seeing colourful necklaces and glazed cups amongst his ‘animali sbagliati’, fantastic creatures and other one-offs. Ponti reported that the works were manifestations of Melotti's innate sense of freedom, apparent in someone who had already created monumental sculptures, made pioneering abstract sculptures, and who now showed a happy surrender to his creative instincts. Melotti’s own “giochi”, his playful beauties, as the artist light-heartedly called them, were part of his imaginative research much like the colourful beads featured in his poetic ceramic and metal sculptures, which he created over the many years of his creative career.
By Dr. Lisa Hockemeyer, Art and Design Historian and Associate Professor of Design, Politecnico di Milano
