Large 'Vaso delle Donne e dei Fiori'

Gio Ponti’s involvement with the Richard-Ginori initiated in 1923 when the young architect became if not officially, de facto artistic director of the firm. Richard-Ginori was at the time undergoing heavy restructuring due to lingering difficulties encountered in innovating the production to match contemporary tastes which causes many years of financial difficulties. Despite inheriting the challenges posed by a troubled company, Ponti was able to rapidly reinvigorate the firm’s production with a new series of elegant and imaginary designs inspired by neo classicism. Ponti established from the start strong relationships of trust and friendship with Augusto Richard the craftsmen operating at the Richard-Ginori and the fruitful collaboration showed rapid success at the first International Exhibition of Decorative Arts in Monza, in 1923, which would subsequently carry on the following years as the Monza Biennale and finally take the format it is known as today, the Milan Triennale: ‘we should mention the stand at the first Monza Biennal of Richard-Ginori […] which now has presented a large number of modern ceramics which are truly significant. The merit is due to the young architect, Giovanni Ponti, a neoclassico from Milan, who is deeply sincere in his stylistic research and, more importantly, extremely gifted with creative talent.’

Amongst the extensive portfolio Gio Ponti designed for Richard-Ginori, (Serliana, La Passeggiata archeologica, Le Attivita’ Gentili, Omaggio agli Snob) perhaps Gio Ponti’s Le Mie Donne/My Women was the most spectacular and is today the most celebrated.  Reserved for a limited series of majolica objects rigorously hand-painted, the theme included Donne su Nubi/Women on clouds (see Christie’s 12 December 2016, The Collection of Chiara and Francesco Carraro, lot 17, sold 319,500 USD) and the Donne su Fiori/Women on Flowers, depicting ladies reclining on large petals. Donne su Fiori/Women on Flowers clearly showed strong ties with two major sources of inspiration for the architect; certainly, it references Le Antichita’ di Ercolano Esposte (1754 to 1779) a published list of decorations resurfaced from Pompeii and Ercolano archaeological sites; the other undeniable link is to the Wiener Werkstatte workshops, deeply admired and respected by the young architect, and in particular to Dagobert Peche, whom the Ponti himself declared to be ‘the greatest ornamental genius’ (G. Ponti, Il Gusto di Hoffmann, Domus, no. 93, 1935, p. 3).