Giovanni Battista Mitri Majolica Chimney with Fireplace, 1965
Description
Giovanni Battista Mitri majolica chimney with fireplace, glazed ceramics and iron, Italy, 1965.
Giovanni Battista Mitri, a Venetian designer and artist, designed and manufactured this sculptural fireplace with chimney in 1965. The work is a unique piece, hand-made by the artist and installed for some years in Palazzo Bollani, a stunning palazzo in Venice, Italy. Conceived to be both a functional chimney and a decorative piece, this stunning glazed ceramic fireplace is the artist’s legacy to Venice and its history. The interplay of color and material explicitly recalls the intricate artistry seen in St. Mark’s Cathedral, showcasing earthy tones of violet, blue, green, and red, drawing inspiration from the rich history of Venice, particularly Byzantine mosaics. The chimney, shaped like a truncated cone with drop-like volumes, presents a strikingly sculptural design, revealing a complex world of details. The central firebox and iron base echo the fireplaces of Venetian glass furnaces of Murano, where Mitri studied glass-making techniques and lived for years. The surface features underglaze firing decoration (gran fuoco) with embossed animal figures, reminiscent of prehistoric rock carvings, celebrating the primal connection between fire, earth, and life. The supporting base, made of wrought iron, also reflects an archaic style, linking the piece to the first prehistoric human ironworks. It’s clear the artist’s willingness to merge primitive inspiration with cubist composition, highlighting Mitri’s ability to blend historical references with modernist abstract expression. Mitri’s unique approach, rooted in Venice’s artistic traditions, particularly focused on primal motifs and combined with contemporary techniques, reflects a deep connection to the earth and the fire of life inside us.
Giovanni Battista Mitri, known as Giobatta, was born in 1915 in San Vito al Tagliamento, Italy. An apprentice of Arturo Martini, Mitri became a master potter in his Venetian furnace and a teacher at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Venice (the National Academy of Art). In the 1940s, Mitri developed a style that blended archaic art, primitive motifs, and geometric forms, creating a signature aesthetic for his work. Influenced by artists like Pablo Picasso, Paul Cezanne, Gino Severini, and Braque, Mitri’s style is evident in this piece, featuring ancestral, stylized figures such as horses, humans, and other animals in hunting scenes and rural life, engraved into the majolica-evoking the spirit of ancient cave paintings.
Dimensions
Height: 72.45 in (184 cm)
Width: 22.05 in (56 cm)
Depth: 16.54 in (42 cm)
Design
1960s
Manufacture
1960-1969
Material
Glazed ceramics, iron
Condition
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