Altomani & Sons

09/09/2026

ONE HOUND LOOKS AT THE HERO.
The other still follows the scent.
What happened after the hunt?
Discover Piamontini’s Meleager ↓

17/08/2026

WHO IS BENEATH THIS HOOD?
Not a monk.

He is one of the Disciplinati, the lay penitents of the Confraternity of the Holy Cross in Urbino.

And he is painted on an extraordinary Renaissance maiolica vessel created almost five centuries ago.

ALTOMANI PILLS | EP. 01

Guido Durante di Camillo da CastelduranteUrbino, second half of the 16th centuryThe Holy Cross JugPolychrome maiolicaHeight: 38 cm

At first sight, it is a monumental Renaissance jug.

Look closer, and an entire world begins to emerge.

• Two hooded confraternity members kneel in prayer before the Holy Cross.

• Around them appear the Instruments of Christ’s Passion: the spear, the sponge, the crown of thorns and the scourges.

17/08/2026

ALTOMANI PILLS · INSIDE THE ARTWORK

HE DOESN’T WATCH THE PREY.
HE WATCHES MELEAGER.

One hound looks upward with affection, loyalty and disciplined readiness. The second still follows the scent of the hunt.

Through this silent contrast, Giuseppe Piamontini builds an entire moral world.

Above the monumental head of the Calydonian boar, Artemis raises two torches. Their light evokes divine presence, ritual fire and judgment. A smaller stag’s head reveals the extraordinary scale of the defeated beast, while a chased vegetal garland transforms the trophy into an offering.

View the sculpture by appointment in Milan or Pesaro.
Request the complete historical, art-historical and diagnostic study:

[email protected]

16/08/2026

ALTOMANI PILLS · INSIDE THE ARTWORK

HE DOESN’T WATCH THE PREY.
HE WATCHES MELEAGER.

One hound looks upward with affection, loyalty and disciplined readiness. The second still follows the scent of the hunt.

Through this silent contrast, Giuseppe Piamontini builds an entire moral world.

Above the monumental head of the Calydonian boar, Artemis raises two torches. Their light evokes divine presence, ritual fire and judgment. A smaller stag’s head reveals the extraordinary scale of the defeated beast, while a chased vegetal garland transforms the trophy into an offering.

View the sculpture by appointment in Milan or Pesaro.
Request the complete historical, art-historical and diagnostic study:

[email protected]

Martelli second version inv.490 Bacchus and Ariadne by Piamontini ancient cameo monumental Piamontini Venus and Cupid by Piamontini Solomon and Sheba by Piamontini Ruben’s Atalanta and Meleager

08/07/2026

A porcelain masterpiece. A scientific case. A forgotten banquet machine.

This extraordinary 18th-century Capodimonte liquor barrel is more than a decorative object. It is a sculptural device made for the aristocratic table, with satyrs, vine branches, animals, a working tap and a Bacchus child as the lid.

Scientific analysis supports the material reading of the object: SEM-EDS testing by CNR Faenza and XRF measurements document a siliceous porcelain body, lead-rich glaze, genuine gilding and historical pigments.

One rare comparison is almost identical, but with a different lid: a young satyr with a kid. Our example, with Bacchus himself, is even more coherent with the wine and liquor function of the barrel.

A small object. A major discovery.

DM to request the full dossier, diagnostic images and a private viewing.

10/06/2026

500 years later, the secret was still underneath.

Altomani & Sons presents a rare Renaissance pastiglia box, made in Northeast Italy in the early sixteenth century and decorated with four powerful figures of virtue: Marcus Atilius Regulus, Marcus Curtius, Lucretia and Judith.

In just a few centimetres, this small object brings together Roman history, biblical courage, courtly taste and the refined culture of the Renaissance studiolo.

• Marcus Atilius Regulus, loyalty to one’s word
• Marcus Curtius, sacrifice for Rome
• Lucretia, honour and moral firmness
• Judith, courage and intelligence

The box is made in pastiglia on gilded wood, with tiny reliefs produced from matrices, a technique close to the world of goldsmiths, engravers and medal-makers.

But the most extraordinary detail is hidden underneath.

The red silk taffeta, now faded to pale pink, survives not only inside the box, but also on the underside, where it once protected precious surfaces from direct contact with the object.

Even the upper k**b and the four feet are still preserved, elements often lost in works of this fragility.

A private treasure.
A moral object.
A miniature architecture of memory.

Altomani & Sons
Milan, Pesaro

27/05/2026

A landscape painted on ceramic. A masterpiece hidden in plain sight.

This extraordinary maiolica tazza was painted at Doccia in 1871 by Giuseppe Benassai for the Ginori Manufactory.

Its ideal title is La Quiete, because the serene lake landscape, the trees, the reflections on water and the solitary heron directly echo Benassai’s celebrated painting of the same name, a work awarded first prize in a government painting competition in Florence.

But this is not simply a decorative ceramic.

It is a painting on maiolica.

A true landscape painter enters the Ginori factory and transforms ceramic into vision, atmosphere and memory.

• Giuseppe Benassai, Reggio Calabria 1835-1878

• Ginori Manufactory, Doccia

• Polychrome maiolica tazza

• Signed: “G. Benassai f. a Doccia 1871”

• Hand-painted lake landscape with heron

• Neo-Renaissance foot with harpies and mascaron

• Related to Benassai’s great painting La Quiete

• Connected to the golden age of Ginori exhibition pieces

From 1873 to 1878, Benassai directed the painters’ department for maiolica at Ginori. His role was crucial: he brought the sensitivity of a painter into the world of ceramic production.

The result is something rare and powerful.

Not just ceramic.

Not just decoration.

A landscape painting made permanent in fire.

La Quiete.

Benassai.

Ginori.

Doccia, 1871.

A museum-level object where art, history and Italian maiolica meet.

Doccia ItalianMaiolica Maiolica ItalianCeramics CeramicArt PaintingOnCeramic LaQuiete ArtHistory ItalianArt NineteenthCenturyArt DecorativeArts AppliedArts MuseumPiece MuseumQuality OldMasterObjects Altomani AltomaniAndSons ItalianAntiques Antiquariato CollectorsItem ArtCollector FineArts Heron NeoRenaissance SestoFiorentino

25/12/2025

• Season’s Greetings and Happy New Year from Altomani Galleries
• This Ginori porcelain bust portrays the Marchese Ginori, founder of the Ginori porcelain manufactory
• A true masterpiece, where light, glaze, and sculptural presence turn porcelain into character
• May your holidays be peaceful, your days be bright, and your New Year full of clarity, health, and beautiful opportunities •

22/11/2025

Sassoferrato rediscovered.
With this video, we revisit the extraordinary refinement of Giovanni Battista Salvi, known as Sassoferrato, through a selection of some of his most iconic works—paintings that shaped devotional imagery across Europe for centuries.

🎥 Watch the full video in english or:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtefQ7Z3TPM
(in italian https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=divqSFulTdw)

From the immaculate precision of his enamel-like technique to the serene metaphysics of his Madonnas, Sassoferrato remains one of the most fascinating and misunderstood painters of the 17th century.
Today, his works are once again at the center of scholarly attention, and for good reason: their purity of form, chromatic brilliance and spiritual intensity are unmatched.

In this video we explore:
✔ The distinctive technique behind Sassoferrato’s masterpieces
✔ The cultural roots that shaped his sacred imagery
✔ Why his reputation declined—and why it is rising again
✔ Rare works preserved in major museums and international collections

Altomani & Sons is proud to continue bringing forward the legacy of the great Italian masters through research, exhibitions and international collaborations.

If you love Old Masters, don’t miss this.
Leave a comment and tell us which Sassoferrato work moves you the most.

A rare and extraordinary journey into the historic 1990 exhibition dedicated to Sassoferrato, guided by the voice and insights of Federico Zeri.Rediscover th...

25/09/2025

Questo rosso non è un colore, è una prova. Premi play, lascia che il piatto parli e scopri perché un riflesso del 1539 può cambiare la tua idea di maiolica.

• Urbino, 1539, diametro 45,1 cm, soggetto Marco Curzio che salva Roma
• Lustro rubino in terza cottura, atmosfera riducente, rame e argento che diventano un film metallico vivo
• Cartiglio in prima persona, rarissimo in ceramica, la scena “parla” con la voce dell’eroe
• Verso con volute in rubino e data 1539 entro bande gialle, dettaglio chiave per bottega e tempo
• Provenienza tracciata, Rothschild, ERR R 4099, Altaussee 1945, Munich Central Collecting Point 1257/11, restituito 9 gennaio 1946
• Conservazione di livello, anni in baule, colori e riflessi a lustro insolitamente freschi

Guarda il Reel, scrivi RUBY nei commenti se vuoi la scheda completa in PDF, condividilo con chi ama la grande arte italiana.