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DERUTA'S ORIGINS
 
Deruta’s origins are obscure. In the course of time it had various names: Ruto, Ruta, Rupto, Direpta, Diruta. The latter term, calling to mind the fires and destruction suffered by the town, seems to be at the origin of the name Deruta. In any case, it always had close ties with Perugia, for which its was a valuable bulwark to the south facing Todi. The fortified castle can be seen in the old town. In the XIII° century, Deruta had its own statutes, replaced in 1465 by a new document in vernacular. This provided for the presence in the castle of a magistrate sent from Perugia and four “bono omni” (good men) elected from among the inhabitants. Plague in the fifteenth century exterminated the population so that the circle of town walls had to be reduced. During the salt war (1540), Deruta, on the Pope’s side, was sacked and devastated. Perugia’s submission to teChurch led to a long period of peace and prosperity, and political and social life was reorganized. During the Renaissance, ceramic crafts and their importance reached their greatest splendour, and were highly developed and widespread. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the town developed economically and socially, and even became a model for surrounding areas.
The XVIII° century was a time of improvement. In 1744 the municipal archive was restored, in 1784 real estate and inhabitants were registered, in 1749 the town roads were repaired and in 1751 the old Hospital of ST. James was restored.
In the early nineteenth century, Deruta was under Napoleonic rule. In 1812 the mayor ordered the demolition of the castle near Porta S. Angelo.
In 1814 the pontifical government again in ruled Deruta. In 1831 the town took part in the revolutionary movements, but severe repression followed, and Deruta came back into the political orbit of the Papacy.
Description of Deruta
The old town can be entered through Porta S. Michele Arcangelo, where there are signs of old furnaces, and the deconsecrated, Romanesque – gothic Church of St. Michael the Archangel on piazzetta Biordo Michelotti. The polygonal fountain in front of it dates back to 1849. the fourteenth century town hall is in Piazza dei Consoli.
In the hall there are archaeological find, Neolithic and Etruscan, fragments of inscriptions, sculptures and capitals. The Municipal Paintings Gallery is also located in the Town Hall. Opposite it is the gothic Church of St. Francis, consecrated in 1388. the bell towers, together with the civic towers, characterize Deruta even from afar. Next to the Church is the former convent of St. Francis, now the premises of the Regional Museum of ceramics. Further on, at the end of the narrow via Pinturicchio, is the Church of St. Antony with frescos by Bartholomew and G. Battista Caporali.
Just beyond the re is a good view of the Tiber plain and the hills. The lower part of the old town is called “Valle”, and is an old quarter. Via Maturanzio joins Porta Perugina to Porta del Borgo. Near piazza Cavour is the little Church of the Madonna della Cerasa.
The Church of the Piagge on via Tiberina was built in 1601. its façade is adorned with beautiful majolica by the ceramist Amerigo Lunghi, and inside there is a fresco of the Virgin with the Baby by a local late mannerist artist.Regional Ceramics Museum in Deruta.
The Regional Ceramics Museum is located in the fourteenth century former Convent of Saint Francis in the old town of Deruta (Largo S.Francesco) that was specially restructured and opened to the public in April 1998.
The exhibition and deposit area cover 1700 square m in all.
There are 14 exhibition hall on three floors as well as the huge space for the depository.
On the ground floor there are three open halls for temporary exhibitions so that visitors can get a glimpse of the Museum’s set-up and decide whether to buy an entrance ticket.
From this area one can access the library specialized in history of ceramics, with over 1400 volumes. Beyond the reception desk the itinerary begins with a hall devoted to ceramic techniques.
This history of ceramics from Deruta can be viewed in the last hall on the ground floor.
The rest of the exhibition is upstairs and covers the evolution of majolica from Deruta until the early twentieth century.
The Renaissance is exalted with polished display plates bearing the coats of arms of nobility or portraits of beautiful Renaissance women, as well as many other objects both from the Renaissance and the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
There are some thematic areas too. Such as the flooring section, the votive plate section, and a reconstructions of an old pharmacy. Special attention is given to collectors’ items on the second floor, where the “Magnini Collection” can also be admired. The early-century showcases blend harmoniously with the extraordinary vaulted ceiling. The sections of ceramics, and not only From Deruta, attest both to the phenomenon of local collections in the early century and to the clever acquisition policy followed since the 80s. A four-floor metallic tower is reserved as a deposit, and can also be visited.
The large quantity of objects that are worth viewing is set up as an exhibition-deposit, in a great space full of shelves were - just like in a library or archive - one can look at things in general or go along the shelves, stopping to take notes and work on one’s own research. There are work spaces available or researchers. In all, the Museum has over 7,000 works of art.
Deruta Arts Craft
Crafts in Deruta are represent¬ed by the production of artistic majolica. The oldest document on this type of art is dated 12 August 1290, and attests to payment "in natura" with "unam souman vasorum". This was the archaic period when daily-use objects were made: jugs, bowls and dishes with geometrical and zoomorphic decorations. The predominant colours used were copper green and manganese brown. In the following centuries majolica from Deruta reached its apex of splendor, spreading in the course of the sixteenth century to the main cities, and not only Italian ones. Artists such as Giacomo Mancini (EL FRATE) and Francesco Urbini signed works of art of great value. There is a whole repertory of designs with female figures, mythological scenes, battles and sacred images, decorated in many different ways. Mean¬while the colour palette was enriched with orange, blue and yellow. The technique of pol¬ishing appeared too, with splendid golden tones on the most valuable works. Floors, such as the one of the Church of Saint Francis in Deruta, dat¬ing from 1524 and the one of St. Mary the Greater in in Spello in Perugia are more exam¬ples of the best creations of majolica from Deruta. Later, style and decoration evolved to the calligraphic, Moorish style, with intertwined leaves, flow¬ers, arabesques, birds and other animals. In the XVIII° century production went through a cri¬sis, yet Gregorio Caselli opened a factory in Deruta that pro¬duced porcelain-imitations in majolica. Following the unity of Italy, production started up again, thanks to the work of Angelo Micheletti, Alpinolo Magnini, David Zipirovic and Ubaldo Grazia.
Today, the high level of artistic work produced can be seen by visiting the "living Museum" winding through the streets of Deruta and consisting of workshop, exhibition halls, laboratories and factories where one can observe the various production stages.
The Sanctuary of the Madonna of the Baths
Deruta City of the Ceramic Art
Being located on a soft hill - overhung by woods – Deruta offers a wide view allowing your eyes to sweep the whole valley: from Mount Peglia to Perugia, from the Tiber plain to the opposite hills. Close by the ancient boundary walls, you will find the oldest village, from there if you climb across three city gates of the ancient defence system you will have access to the historical heart of the city. There , the civic towers and the church tower of St.Francesco stand out, overhanging the rectangular-shaped square, with a beautiful fountain.During the Fifties the new part of the city developed along the ancient street Via Tiberina, thus creating many handicraft workshops for the manufacturing of artistic majolica. As a matter of fact, the activity of the most part of the 7600 inhabitants of Deruta, located 15 km far from Perugia and 150 km far from Rome, is linked to this well known production.
If you enter the historical centre of Deruta across Porta St. Michele Arcangelo you will immediately find visible evidences of ancient factory bricks, the first one is nowadays out of use, whilst as to the subsequent ones, one dates back to the Sixteenth Century and it is perfectly preserved, the other could be activated in any time. The little square Biordo Michelotti is overhung by the sober Romanesque-Gothic lines of the church of St. Arcangelo, no longer destined to the cult, with the facade adorned by decorative tiles. Opposite there is the Fountain with polygonal plant, realized by the quinquevirs of the City in 1848. After that you reach the Square of Consoli bordered by modern buildings, which are adorned with majolica plates and tiles , and by the Palazzetto Municipale, dating back to 1300, with portals and mullion windows with two lights. In the entrance hall archaeological finds - both Neolithic and Etrurian - are collected, together with fragments of epigraphs, terracotta jars, sculptures and capitals. Moreover, the palace accomodates the Picture Gallery (Pinacoteca) and the Museum of the Ceramics. The Gallery exhibites important collection of paintings coming from the Churches of St. Francisco, St. Antonio, of the Defuncts and from the Hospital of St. Giacomo. The most interesting nucleus is to be found in a part of the rich collection of Lione Pascoli. Other noteworthy works can be admired, among the others, such as: the Alunno’s paintings, the Baciccio’s , the Stendardo’s, the Amorosi’s, the Fiorenzo di Lorenzo’s as well as a painting by Guido Reni. Some precious documents of the archives – regarding the history of Deruta, are reserved In the room of the Tower. The most valued volume is the Missale frairum minorupi of the XIII century. A majolica, of big size, work of Zipirovie, reproducing Raffaello’s Wedding of the Holy Virgin, is currently preserved in the room of the Junta. In the Museum of the Ceramics, the visitor can admire amatory goblets, bread soup bowls, umbilicate trays, albarelli and holy water fonts, dated back to the period from the archaic to the present time. Opposite the Municipal Palace there is the church of St. Francisco, in gothic style, consecrated in the 1388. Of remarkable interest the inside, as well as the bell towers, that with the civic tower, overhang the public square thus characterizing Deruta even from big distances.Contiguous to the church, there is the former Franciscan convent with the ancient cloister. At the end of the narrow street Via Mastro Giorgio the church of St. Antonio stands out, meaningful frescoes by Bartolomeo and Gian Battista Caporali are preserved in it. A little further, a wide view on the plain of Tiber River and on the bordering hills sweeps away. The lower part of the historical center is the Valle, old popular quarter, whose street axis, Via Maturanzio, joins the Porta Perugina to the Porta del Borgo. When you get to the square Piazza Cavour you can see the small Church of the Madonna Del Divino Amore, today known under the name of Madonna della Cerasa. When you go ahead you will find the remainings of the hospital of St. Giacomo, instituted in 1414, but whose origin is more ancient. It was already located in the Village near the Church of S. Anna, probably dating back to the Middle Age. The Church of St. Anna (a private property) preserves a painting reproducing St. Anna, St. Gioacchino and the Holy Virgin (1744). Along the road Via Tiberina you run across the small Church of Madonna delle Piagge (1601) ,whose facade, is decorated by beautiful majolica patterns, whilst inside you can admire a fresco representing the Holy Virgin with the Child, work of a local late mannerist artist.

 
deruta cenni storici
deruta foto
Deruta's Landscape
Borgo Garibaldi

Piazza dei Consoli
Edicola S.Francesco
Main Road
Deruta's landscape
Foto del 1940 riprese da vecchie cartoline in bianco e nero di Deruta

 

C.L.S - Ceramica Libera Sperimantale 1997 - 2006- Deruta - ITALIA