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Ceramiche Pinto

Hand painted tiles from the Amalfi Coast.

artisan: Ceramiche Pinto
The sheer cliffs plunge into a turquoise Mediterranean Sea at Torre Crestarella near Positano along the Amalfi Coast. In this dramatic landscape that plays out from the high mountain ridges above the Amalfi Coast Drive down to the sea are a handful of southern Italian fishing villages scattered like jewels along the coast. Many of you will remember the towns of Positano, Vietri sul Mare, Maiori, Minori, and crowning it all, Ravello from its high perch just west of Minori. These and many other towns are ripe with stories and images from the traditional fishing and sailing days of the coast, still evident in the colorful fishing boats and seafood restaurants dotted throughout the coast.

 

artisan:
Dramatic scenery along the Amalfi Coast drive where drivers risk their lives on narrow roads high above near vertical drops down to the sea, alternates with friendly and inviting towns built around a beach. Seafaring tradition, including boat building and fishing with the use of nets, used to be an important part of life here. The colorful wooden boats seen at every beach are a testimony of past life styles, and a wooden boat lover's paradise.

 

artisan: Left: Pinto factory tiled facade in downtown Vietri, and Right: Moorish style tiled dome in Vietri sul Mare.

Pinto and the Artisan Floor Tile

artisan: Pinto and the Artisan Floor Tile
Industrial Italian floor tiles in the last few years have pervaded every corner of earth. Ceramiche Pinto is one of the few artisan floor tile factories still in existence. Vietri sul Mare, and its numerous ceramic factories still in existence today, used to be a lively center of handpainted and handmolded pottery of all shapes and uses. Practically every family and person in the town had ties in one or the other of the many ceramic factories of the area.

Ceramiche Pinto, 1945

artisan: Ceramiche Pinto, 1945Through the centuries, and up until a few years ago, Pinto floor tiles were not only hand painted, but also hand molded, as the image above shows. Still today the factory produces completely artisanal tiles made somewhat like these ancient photographs depict. The clay was collected and prepared in special vats from which it was molded and fired in the kiln. These artisanal tiles are today used mostly as decorative or accent pieces because of the imperfect geometry that characterizes the finished product. However, many customers seek this kind of completely hand made tile that today has acquired value because of its rarity.

Hand Painted Industrial Tiles

artisan: Hand Painted Industrial TilesIn these images, you can see a tile that was baked and subsequently is being glazed. It will then be hand painted as the image on the right shows. Today, Pinto has much request for hand painted tiles on an industrial type of tile base. This allows for the laying of tiles on a floor that will allow for a perfect square when trying to tile a square floor or wall. The Pinto hand painted tiles like the one being decorated here, or the ones shown below that are part of the 85 series, are complex and obviously hand painted. An interesting phenomenon existing today is the creation of single color tiles that are hand painted by Pinto, but computer generated by other companies that are attempting to cut costs. These computer generated single color tiles look like they were hand brushed on with all the differences and nuances of a hand painted tile. Pinto says their customers are still today looking for a genuinely hand painted tile where they know that a computer was not involved, and give value to the creation by a ceramics artist.


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Glazing a large Vase

Pinto artisans at work glazing a large vase in a bathtub. Ceramiche Pinto, Vietri sul Mare.
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Pinto artisans at work glazing a large vase in a bathtub. Ceramiche Pinto, Vietri sul Mare.


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Painting a Floor Tile

Ceramist at work on a potters wheel and hand painting a floor tile. Ceramiche Pinto, Vietri sul Mare, Amalfi Coast.
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Ceramist at work on a potters wheel and hand painting a floor tile. Ceramiche Pinto, Vietri sul Mare, Amalfi Coast.


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Pinto Mosaic Tiles

Pinto artisan at work painting a large mosaic composed of several tiles. Pinto factory, Vietri sul Mare.
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Pinto artisan at work painting a large mosaic composed of several tiles. Pinto factory, Vietri sul Mare.

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Products by Ceramiche Pinto
Six Tile Blue Vendemmia Tile Scene Six Tile Blue Vendemmia Tile Scene
Little people picking grapes, or Vendemmia, on cobalt blue background. Tile scene that can be used as a floor tile scene or hung on the wall.
Six Tile Blue Vendemmia Tile Scene n. 2 Six Tile Blue Vendemmia Tile Scene n. 2
Tile scene.
Tile Scene, Grape Harvest, Two Men Tile Scene, Grape Harvest, Two Men
Depicts men at the grape harvest in Vietri sul Mare, Amalfi Coast. Floor or wall tile made by Ceramiche Pinto in Vietri sul Mare, Amalfi Coast.
Fish Market Tile Scene Fish Market Tile Scene
Founded in 1850, The Pinto factory, on the ever-dramatic and romantic Amalfi Coast, has passed the art of ceramics from generation to generation. The company specializes in Vietrese tiled scenes for walls or floors as well as a na?ve decorative style, reflecting the colors, shapes and joy of the seaside life enjoyed by the area's people. This tile depicts two men and one woman selling their fish in Vietri sul Mare.
Fishermen on Boat Tile Scene Fishermen on Boat Tile Scene
Made by the very old floor tile factory of Pinto in Vietri sul Mare, this naive painting on tile harks back to the fishing days of the people of the Amalfi Coast. Tile may be used as a floor tile or as a decorative wall piece.
Fishermen Netting Fish from Shore Tile Fishermen Netting Fish from Shore Tile
In typical southern Italian style, these fishermen are helping each other net fish for the market from shore. Made by the ancient floor tile factory of Pinto, located in the old town of Vietri sul Mare, Amalfi Coast. Use as a floor tile or as a wall decoration.