A Ginori plate, decorated in a traditional Florentine design, is of the type purchased in the early 19th Century by English and American tourists in Tuscany.

When we think of European porcelain, we are more likely to think of the Germans and the French than the Italians. Yet the Italians were among the first to make porcelain in Europe, and according to some speculation, they may have been the very first.

I have only heard about them and read about them, but there supposedly are a few porcelains on display in Florence that belonged to the Medici family and reputedly were made in Italy during the late Renaissance using information garnered from Marco Polo’s trip to China. These pieces would pre-date the generally acknowledged beginnings of European porcelain in Dresden in 1708 and the first factory in Meissen in 1710.

If this is true or not, the Italians were not far behind the Germans. In 1737, Carlo Gonori opened a porcelain factory on his estate in Doccia just outside Florence. The Ginori family were wealthy merchants, primarily in wool, and were long influential in the precarious world of Florentine politics. Carlo Ginori was simply expanding the family enterprises. Why just sell porcelain when I can make my own?
Using his vast wealth, Ginori began buying classical statuary and ordering casts be made of famous marble sculptures.

Florence had been a city of artists since the days of Michelangelo, and Ginori’s enterprise would revive this Tuscan legacy.
Carlo Ginori left his business to his son Lorenzo, who left it to his son, Carlo Leopoldo. Ginori porcelains would be collected not only by the Medici, but by all of Europe’s aristocracy, including Napoleon. It also became an important souvenir of Grand Tour visitors to Italy. But there was no Richard Ginori.
In 1896, the Ginori company merged with Richard Ceramics, a Milanese manufacturer, and became Richard-Ginori. It is still in business today.

Appraisals: It is difficult to find a piece of Ginori of any age under $100. Most standard vases, jardinieres and figurines fall in the $150-$450 range.
Today’s most sought-after and expensive Ginori pieces are not the oldest. They are the Art Deco pieces made between 1923 and 1930 and designed by Gio Ponti, who was the company’s art director during that period. Most of these pieces are in the $1,000 to $6,000 range, although you may be able to find a Ponti mug or cup and saucer here and there for about $125.

Arthur Schwerdt, a certified appraiser, is author of “The Antique Story Book: Finding the Real Value of Old Things,” and co-owner of The August Farmhouse Antiques on Route 9 in Swainton. Direct your comments and appraisal questions (with photo) to him at aschwerdt@cmcherald.com.