We the Italians March 21, 2016 - 77 | Page 60

st # 77 MARCH 21 , 2016 read more about #Italian Handcrafts ITALIAN HANDCRAFTS: Nove Ceramics By Camera di Commercio di Vicenza with Unioncamere cing high-quality majolica The gypsum was taken for twenty years without from the Asiago plateau, the clay from the hills of paying any taxes. Marostica, and the kaolin The Brenta river, which from Tretti, providing the flows to the east of the necessary materials for ceresidential area of Nove, ramics and especially porplayed a decisive role in celain. These materials, the birth of ceramics tree along with others, were trunks were brought in processed at the old milalong the river on large ls that were established in rafts, which were then col- the area for that very purlected, cut and distributed pose. to the various factories to fuel their kilns. A kiln had to work for several days at temperatures of around 9001000 degrees for At the beginning of the majolica and 1200 degreeighteenth century, the es for porcelain. Venetian Republic and the city of Venice incentivised Stones were also gathered the production of cerami- from the river and then cs to limit imports and en- calcinated or pounded to courage exports. In 1732, retrieve the calcium carthe “Savi della Mercan- bonate, silica and quartz: zia” council granted Gio- the fundamental materials vanni Battista Antonibon for ceramic bodies. the privilege of produCeramics have been made in Nove for three hundred years, and in fact this artistic endeavour owes its success to a favourable conjunction of political, economical and environmental factors. The oldest and most illustrious manufacturers sprang up along the Isacchina canal, a waterway that runs through the historic centre of Nove, and on the banks of which two important mills were established for preparing ceramic bodies. 60 | WE THE ITALIANS www.wetheitalians.com