Elvira Keller
Ceramics between nature, architecture and cosmos

PictaLab is an interior decoration workshop created in Milan over fifteen years. It was founded in 2007 by Orsola Clerici, in collaboration with Chiara Troglio. In this elegant atelier, hand-painted wallpaper and wall decorations are created, with many different techniques: from fresco to trompe l'oeil, from coating to lacquering. Here, skilled craftspeople masterfully carry out each project, which always arises from a direct confrontation with the clients to understand their needs and expectations, and take care of the execution, rigorously made-to-measure. Every creation always takes into account the architectural space and the context in which the idea is shaped, to offer creative and personalized solutions. In addition to wall decorations, the workshop also offers a customization service for furniture and interior design objects. Orsola Clerici, co-owner and co-founder of the studio, obtained in 2020 the title "MAM – Maestro d’Arte e Mestiere" by Cologni Foundation for the Métiers d’Art.

The atelier Ornella Bijoux was founded in Milan in 1944 by Piera Barni. A historic business with an incredible story, bridged into present days thanks to the talent and determination of Simona Scala, the third generation at the helm of the business. They create jewels with a vintage flavor, ofetn inspired by Art Nouveau, but also with a more contemporary taste, made up of original compositions of metals and Venetian stones, hand-painted ceramics and crystals, pearls and shells, as well as enamels, ropes, leather and feathers, mixed with freedom, harmony and originality. An all-female enterprise, where know-how and craftsmanship have been handed down from mother to daughter for almost 80 years now.

Maurizio Betti is a master craftsman, owner of “La Bottega di Betti” in Santarcangelo di Romagna (Rimini). He inherited the interest in woodworking from his father Pasquale, who worked as a restorer in the Seventies.

Today he works with his partner Loredana Cangini, a professional decorator, and with his son Jonathan, to whom he taught the secrets of the craft: together they create, in their carpentry and restoration workshop, lacquered and finely decorated furniture, and they restore period furnishings.

But their greatest masterpieces are garden furnishings, and in particular the spectacular and colorful aviaries, nests and bird feeders: spectacular one-of-a-kind pieces, entirely handmade.

He participated in Homo Faber 2022 in Venice, with his "Lo Studiolo Ornitologico", diplayed in “Next of Europe” room. In the same year he was awarded with the title of “MAM - Maestro d'Arte e Mestiere”, by Fondazione Cologni.

Laura Inghirami, journalist and advisor specialized in the jewelry sector, and Founder of Donna Jewel, interviewed, for the Cologni Foundation, the Master artisans who have been awarded as “MAM – Master of Arts and Crafts”, in the category: Jewelry - Silversmithing – Goldsmithing.

“The “fiaccherai” - says Master​​ Paolo Pagliai – were the old-time drivers of horse-drawn carriages. In the 40s, my father Orlando Pagliai, founder of the family company, used to give them his hand-written business cards to be distributed, and also to be known and find customers." This is the old-time, fascinating story of Paolo Pagliai, Florentine craftsman, awarded MAM - Master of Arts and Crafts, specialized in the production and processing of silverware, as well as in the restoration and the creation of unique pieces on request. Nowadays Pagliai’s silverware is a reference point of excellence, and it has been recognized as a prestigious Florentine Historical Business. "I'm Orlando Pagliai, the silversmith who worked at Rogai’s: if you need me, you will find me in Costa San Giorgio, 77" – as it was reported on those business cards.

Davide Furno is a true master of wax.
He was the first in Italy to give new life and dignity to wax modeling, thus recovering an ancient and completely forgotten technique: this is a discipline that, with the help of waxes, natural resins, plasters and powders, gives life to flowers and fruit, that can be combined into extraordinary compositions. With this process, and thanks to secret recipes he learned during years of study, research and experimentation, Davide Furno is able to create true masterpieces of still life, refined and hyper-realistic, which make any environment magical and poetic.

Laura Inghirami, journalist and advisor specialized in the jewelry sector, and Founder of "Donna Jewel", nterviewed, for the Cologni Foundation, the Masters who have been acknowledged as “MAM – Master of Arts and Crafts”, in the category: Jewelry - Silversmithing - Goldsmithing.

We are in Corso Como, Milan, in ​​​​​Natsuko Toyofuku's Atelier, a sophisticated place where the distant charm of Japan meets Milan and Western culture, with experimentation and artistic ferment. Here Natsuko Toyofuku, awarded with the title of MAM - Master of Arts and Crafts, shows us her hand-crafted creations in bronze and silver, sometimes enlightened by colored enamels and unusual stones. Contemporary, sculptural works, always out of the box: Natsuko Toyofuku doesn’t want to conform to the rules of classic jewelry, she rather wants to overcome them.

The history of “Ceramiche San Giorgio” started with the dream of a boy, Giovanni Poggi, who wanted to be a ceramicist and to open an important workshop.
He decided to do it in his hometown, Albisola, a Ligurian city with a long artisanal tradition: the San Giorgio factory opened its doors in 1958, thanks to the partnership between master artisan Poggi and his two collaborators, Eliseo Salino and Mario Pastorino.
 Albisola was a great place for experimenting and re-inventing the art of ceramics, and Giovanni Poggi's workshop was one of the protagonists of this revolution. Numerous internationally renowned artists have worked in his furnace, and over the years it has been a true point of reference for Italian ceramics. Today, the history of the atelier continues with the same passion and consistency.

Saverio Pastor is one of the last "remèr" (oar maker) masters in Venice: an ancient trade, which was born in Venice many centuries ago, when mobility around the lagoon was entirely by rowing.
This noble craft is nowadays in danger of disappearing, because there are few craftspeople who are able to carry on this important know-how, and even fewer young talents who have the courage to invest many years in such a challenging job.
Nevertheless, this tradition is deeply rooted into the Venetian history and culture. 
Saverio Pastor trained alongside masters Giuseppe Carli and Gino Fossetta. In 2002 he opened his own workshop, "Le Forcole", specialized in the construction of oars and oarlocks for Venetian gondolas, according to traditional techniques dating back to the Renaissance.

Laura Inghirami, journalist and advisor specialized in the jewelry sector, and Founder of Donna Jewel, interviewed, for the Cologni Foundation, the Master artisans who have been acknowledged in 2022 as “MAM – Master of Arts and Crafts”, in the category: Jewelry - Silversmithing - Goldsmithing.

Vincenzo Aucella, Marketing Manager and Master artisan of Aucella, and President of Assocoral, awarded MAM - Master of Arts and Crafts, has accompanied us to discover the history of his family company, which is based in Torre del Greco (close to Naples), home to a fascinating centuries-old tradition, and specialized in the processing and production of corals and cameos. “Post Fata Resurgo”: this is the motto of the city, which, like the legendary phoenix, has always risen from the difficulties to build a future made of uniqueness, art and beauty.

Anita Cerrato is a ceramic restorer with a great passion for the Japanese culture and aesthetics.
She specializes in Kintsugi, a ceramic repair technique that does not hide the fractures of the object, but enhances them by embellishing them: an imperfect beauty capable of restoring life and meaning to any object.
In her atelier in Milan, she creates objects and furnishing accessories of the highest quality, with original raw materials from the Empire of the Rising Sun: clay, precious Urushi lacquer, and Marufun gold.
In 2022 she was awarded the title MAM - Master of Art and Craft by the Cologni Foundation.

The history of the Barbini family goes along with the tradition of Venetian mirrors, which dates back to the 16th century. The brothers Giovanni and Vincenzo Barbini, with the support of their children, still nowadays personally carry out all the stages of processing using the traditional techniques of the craft. In 2018 they received the accolade MAM - Master of Art and Craft, promoted by the Cologni Foundation in collaboration with Alma. They took part in Homo Faber Event 2022 in Venice, exhibiting an extraordinary monumental mirror in homage to the Empire of the Rising Sun.

Antonella Cimatti, a teacher and ceramicist from Faenza, bases her poetics on creative, aesthetic and design research and innovative experimentation with contemporary techniques. Her works are designed to arouse wonder and enchantment: the whiteness of her very light porcelain crepes, large lace cups hovering on transparent crystalline stems, immaculate butterflies on the verge of taking flight with their long shadows projected on the wall, still life and light installations played on shadows through digital and LED processing. Chasing the miracle of lightness.

Nicolò Morales was born in 1973 in Caltagirone, where he lives and works. He attended the Art Institute in his city, and since an early age he has been practising in the workshops of master ceramists. His atelier is in the historic centre of the Sicilian town, where he creates both functional objects and sculptures, some of which of considerable size, with inexhaustible creativity. Here he displays his anthropomorphic vases typical of the Caltagirone tradition, but also his avant-garde interpretations, as well as reproductions of 13th-century protomaiolica. Morales literally uses the colours of his land, which he derives directly from minerals collected in the countryside around Caltagirone.

In 1873, Domenico Conti Borbone founded the bookbindery that still bears his name. An accomplished master bookbinder, he left the baton to his niece Giuseppina and her husband Isacco Marchesi. The two moved to Corso Magenta in 1919, and it is still here that their grandsons, Gianluca, Gabriele and Angelo, officially at the helm of the company since 2000, cultivate and innovate the art of bookbinding. The workshop produces marbled papers, special colouring on leather, gold embossing and perfect bindings. Everything is done by hand, from sewing the book, gluing, cutting, making the cover to the beautiful decoration and printing.

Lorenza Bessone is the driving force behind Solelò, a brand of handmade ceramics with a minimalist style. In her workshop in Saluzzo (Cuneo), the city where she was born and raised, she crafts objects and accessories in stoneware entirely by hand, from the design to the processing, from the finishing to the enamels, which are also handmade. In 2021 she was one of the finalists in the "Artigiano del Cuore" (Artisan of the Heart) competition of the platform Wellmade.

The Busato family print shop has been based for over 70 years in the historic centre of Vicenza, in a 16th-century building. Giancarlo Busato has inherited the workshop founded in 1946 by his grandfather Ottorino, who had worked for over twenty years in the most important print shops in the Veneto region. His grandson continues the family passion and has been working since 1996 in chalcography and lithography, using exclusively artisan printing systems that have remained unchanged over time, spending his days among the presses, templates, inks and paper. A visit to the print shop in the heart of the city is a truly fascinating and very special experience. Its passionate owner is always ready to welcome visitors with stories and live demonstrations. Busato also does a lot of teaching to pass on his beloved craft to young people.

Giuseppe Peluso, known as Pino, is one of the most illustrious names of the prestigious Neapolitan tailoring tradition. Born in 1972 in Caivano, his father was a tailor and his mother worked as an embroiderer. At the age of fourteen he already made and signed his first jackets, after having learned to cut and sew vests, jackets and trousers to perfection. Since 2017, Sartoria Peluso has been welcoming its customers to Posillipo, in a splendid and panoramic lounge overlooking the Gulf of Naples.

Martha Pachon Rodriguez is Colombian, but Italian by adoption: for more than 20 years, in fact, she has been designing and manufacturing beautiful porcelain artefacts in her atelier in Faenza, one of the most important centers of Italian ceramics. With her experimental and creative attitude, Martha draws inspiration above all from nature and human spirit, creating a perfect combination of shapes, colors and sounds. A poetic and refined know-how that fascinates anyone who crosses the threshold of her magical cave. An overwhelming passion, a happiness of doing that captivates since the first meeting.

Georg Demetz Pilat was born in 1962, the fourth generation of a family strongly linked to the art of wood carving. After completing his sculpture studies at the Institute of Art in Ortisei, he had the opportunity to learn the trade from various masters. In 1987 he obtained the title of master sculptor and started his own business. He works in his workshop in Ortisei where he creates unique pieces in wood and bronze.

The atelier of Ulderico Pinfildi, the supreme master of crib art, is in San Gregorio Armeno, in the heart of Naples. He grew up in the family workshop, and he likes to define his history as a true genealogy. Opened in 1986, the atelier is led by Ulderico and his wife Imma, who took over from his father Alfredo. In his house-shop you can breathe the atmosphere of that extraordinary world of which the Neapolitan crib has been a unique expression since the eighteenth century.