Ginori Porcelain's Three Centuries on Display at Milan's Poldi Pezzoli

The Museo Poldi Pezzoli in Milan, in collaboration with the Museo Ginori di Sesto Fiorentino, presents an exhibition tracing the 300-year history of the Ginori porcelain manufactory (now Richard-Ginori). The show spans from the factory's founding in 1737 by Marquis Carlo Andrea Ginori in Doccia, near Sesto Fiorentino, through its fusion with Richard ceramics in 1896, to the artistic directorship of Gio Ponti (1923–1930). Divided into four sections, it highlights stylistic evolution: early floral and mythological motifs, Baroque-inspired sculptures, eclectic exoticism (including a service for Khedive Ismail Pasha), and Ponti's Art Deco classicism. Loans come from Italian and international institutions. Director Alessandra Quarto notes the exhibition juxtaposes the 'two souls' of Carlo Ginori and Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli. The recipe for porcelain, once a secret called 'white gold,' was discovered in Europe in the early 18th century; Meißen, Germany, began production in 1710, followed shortly by Ginori. The factory also established an on-site decorative arts school. Notable pieces include a Laocoön group paired with its bronze model, a dancing maenad from Francesco I de' Medici's Studiolo, and two pieces made for journalist Ugo Ojetti with sculptures by Libero Andreotti.