Luigi Santi, 60s-70, 25 cm

Talented artist Luigi Santi did almost all of his work in the province of Rimini, Italy; the signed “Cattolica” denotes the workshop he founded in the Rimini provincial town in 1961 and ran until his death in 1981. Considering the province sits right on the Adriatic Sea, I had long attributed the fish motif used by numerous Rimini factories to simple proximity to the ocean. I may have been neglecting a bit of religious history, however, which might provide a deeper meaning. Saint Anthony, whose name is invoked by Catholics across the world when seeking a lost item, had an interesting event happen when he visited Rimini to preach 800 or so years ago. According to legend, Rimini was known at that time for its heresy — so much so that Rimini’s leaders instructed the town’s residents to ignore him. When they did so, Saint Anthony walked just outside of town to the mouth of the Marecchia River to pray and reflect. Calling out, “Fish of the river and sea, listen to the Word of God because the heretics do not wish to hear it,” Saint Anthony was rewarded for his faith by the sight of thousands of fish, all pushing their heads through the surface of the water as if straining to hear his every word. The people of Rimini saw this and, so moved by Saint Anthony’s words, returned to the church. A fish story of quite a different color, I think — and one which makes this vase just a little more special to me.