Societá Anonima Marina (SAM), prob. 60s, 26 cm

Società Anonima Marina (SAM) was based in the Republic of San Marino, which became known in the 50s for its tourist ceramics covered in smalta roccia (rock glaze). Sgraffito, a technique in which glaze is scratched off an unfired body, was the most common form of decoration. Jet black was the prevailing color choice for the body glaze, but green, gray, white and shades of brown were also produced. Though a fair number of the RSM ceramics produced contained fairly mundane scenes or people, the producers did dabble in some higher art, as evidenced by my Cubist cat here. I like him, but I don’t think he sold well: It’s hard to believe there were many tourists clamoring for a greenish-yellow cat, and one who looked like he would be at home in Marc Chagall’s Self-Portrait with Seven Fingers.