Vintage Porcelain Terrine Boxes for Chicken and Rabbit Pâté by Mancioli & C., 1960s, Set of 2

MEASUREMENTS:
Rabbit box: Height: 13 cm; Width: 21 cm; Depth: 12 cm
Chicken box: Height: 9.5 cm; Width: 16 cm; Depth: 9 cm
Total weight: 1.545 kg

Description of the item:
Beautiful pair of hard-paste porcelain table terrines for pâté, with a knob on the lid in the shape of the head of the animal from which the pâté to be placed in the box is supposed to be made, in this case rabbit pâté and chicken pâté, with glass eyes set in the porcelain, made by Mancioli & C., dating from around 1970, both signed under the base. The artistic quality is excellent, especially the high-quality glazing with rich shades of green and brown defined by spraying, in the style of German majolica from the 1950s, which is the strong point of this manufacturer. The porcelain used is excellent, with a very thick biscuit, rich in kaolin, heavy and compact.

Useful information for evaluating the item:
According to our web research, this type of tureen is sold for between €250 and €399 each, while one with a duck's head, slightly larger than ours, was auctioned by Thierry de Maigret (lot 300) for €300 plus fees. All of them have a monochromatic brown glaze, so they are less elaborate and beautiful than ours, which are polychromatic, rich in shades, and sold as a pair rather than individually.

Information about the artist and/or manufacturer:
MANCIOLI & C. founded in 1946 by Natale Mancioli, under the direction of Bruno Magnani, the 'Mancioli & C.' factory produces modern, traditional, and rustic majolica and earthenware for the table and home in its workshops in Montelupo Fiorentino. Among the company's first collaborators was Benvenuto Staderini.
In the early 1950s, Luciano Mancioli, the owner's son, joined the company and began to revamp production both from a technical point of view, with the use of new clay mixtures, and stylistically, with the help of numerous artists and designers, including Ingrid Attemberg. Giorgio Bessi, Giancarlo Casini, Sergio Dello Strologo, Luigi Massoni, Nanni Valentini, and Eva Zeisel. In the mid-1960s, the company moved to larger premises in Altopascio and employed around seventy people who produced highly successful earthenware and porcelain tableware and decorative items. Of particular interest in the 1960s was the production based on designs by Fernando Farulli. In the 1980s, the factory was commissioned by museums around the world to produce limited-edition reproductions of historic ceramics that had belonged to the Medici court. The factory, which is still in operation today, was run in the last years of the century by the founder's grandchildren, Andrea and Sabrina Mancioli.