Ivo De Santis (27cm)

A long time ago I acquired a small ceramic elephant by Italian mid-century ceramist Ivo De Santis. De Santis operated his own studio in Florence named Gli Etruschi from the 1950s through the early 1980s. The studio was aptly named: “Gli Etruschi” translates to “The Etruscans,” the mysterious people of uncertain origin who predated the Romans and settled the area near Florence in the 8th century BC. Considering their influence on the history of central Italy, it is no surprise De Santis named his workshop after them. Fast forward to last month, when I purchased the piece shown here. When it arrived and I unpacked it, I involuntarily laughed. With its thick squared plates, rustic painted handle, raw nature and sizable weight, it seemed to be a decorative piece right out of the iconic 60s cartoon The Flintstones. That got me thinking: How did Italy treat The Flintstones? I learned the show first aired in Italy in 1963 and was notable among the European versions for retaining the names of the major characters, as opposed to changing them to something more familiar to Italian viewers. Fred era Fred! They did change the title, though, renaming it Gli Antenati — or The Ancestors. Waitaminute… A mid-century artist with a studio named after his ancestors making a piece fit for a mid-century cartoon called The Ancestors?!? Oh my. I think Carl Jung just tapped on my shoulder…