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 The
19th century marked the peak of the classical Castellamonte stove |
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Towards the end of the17th century, when decorated stoves were still
in vogue, a new stove called the “Franklin” appeared.
It was to be an enormous success and contributed considerably to
the fame of the local potteries.
The first tiled stove to have a fan and a glass door through
which the flames could be seen, was built by the Reasso family,
a family of craftsmen whose factory was in the S. Rocco area of
Castellamonte.
In the 19th century the classical Castellamonte stove came into
its own: its elaborate decorations and bright-coloured glazes made
it a prized piece of furniture. So much so that some of these stoves
were sold as far away as St. Petersburg in Russia.
But soon other kinds of heating systems became available and this
tiled stove went out of fashion. Years later though, it came into
its own again, as people began to be aware of environmental problems
and appreciate how beneficial this kind of heat could be. The stove’s
splendid decorations and its cost-effectiveness added to its appeal.
A few courageous and enterprising craftsmen started producing the
stoves again and convinced customers that they were ideal for heating
and furnishing both old and modern homes.
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| Art,
Architecture & Design |
Sometimes
an everyday object, whose design and use we are very familiar
with, can take on a completely different meaning through the skill
of a famous artist.
The well-known Italian artist, Enrico Baj, who was one of the
celebrities at the 24th Ceramics Exhibition in Castellamonte,
used objects produced locally, apparently put together randomly,
such as plates and trays in terracotta, broken objects, kiln spacers
and friezes and capitals, to create a work of art especially for
this exhibition. The result was some heads with strange names
and various expressions such as “astonished”, “amazed”,
“happy”, “sad”, “ironical”
and “aggressive”.
Baj also decorated a Vulcano stove, which had been assembled in
a most unusual way, by painting and firing it. “Monument”,
as this work is called, is now in the Ceramics Museum in Castellamonte.
A Vulcano stove, made entirely in tiled stove, went on display at
the Turin Design Exhibition in 1995: it was an excellent example
of how tradition can be combined with modern technology, both
for its performance and its external appearance.
The contrast between the natural tiled stove surface and its modern
design is an excellent tribute to past and present.
At the Delirium Design Exhibition, dedicated to Edgar Allan Poe,
held on the tenth anniversary of the "Abitare il Tempo "
(Verona 1995), a "La Castellamonte" stove was reinterpreted
and redesigned by the Architect William Sawaya. The neo-gothic
style of the stove, with its arches and columns, conjures up memories
of famous stories and the houses they took place in. Practically
the whole of the sides of the stove are decorated with flames
that seem to merge and consume the fire within: it is somewhat
disturbing to look at, as the boundaries between reality and imagination
seem to merge.
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