18th Century Italian Maiolica Nativity, a lovely Circular Relief Devotional  Plaque in polychrome Majolica dating back to 18th century, depicting a round Nativity.  The kneeling Virgin with a blue mantle, in an attitude of prayer, with her clasped hands in front of the Child; behind him, we find  the donkey and ox heads and two more figures of winged angels, with a celestial drape, on the left of the plaque.

Saint Joseph is kneeling on the right, behind the Madonna, with one hand on his face. Two other undefined figures in relief on the white background, presumably of angels, surmount the composition of this ancient majolica.

Probably walled in origin, this majolica relief has a circular shape, measuring 42 cm in diameter, it is of Umbrian origin (Central Italy) and comes from a private collection in Milan. It shows breaks, chips and losses, consistent with use and age of 1700; it is  applied on a wooden disk.

Pair of 20th century Renaissance Revival style Italian Maiolica wall brackets, two hand-modeled, hand painted earthenware grotesques depicting wolf heads masks with Fine polychrome decoration.

They are a Crestoni Ceramiche work, a Central Italy manufacture located in Civita Castellana, near Rome and date back to circa 1930. They are a model signed on the back with monogram GF by Giulio Francesconi ( Viareggio-1894- Civita Castellana 1970) an Italian sculptor who started working in France, in Oissel manufacture, in Normandie, and came back to Italy in 1920 to create sculptures and models for Crestoni ceramiche.

A very impressive pair of Italian ceramic ligorical masks, wolf head wall corbels, two Majolica brackets depicting masks with a smiling open-mouthed expression and a Fine polychrome decoration. Ready to be hanged, this pair of antique wall brackets are the ideal support for small sculptures or figurines. Renaissance style, this Crestoni Ceramiche pair of decorative Italian objects, date back to 1930 circa and are in quite good overall condition except minor old restorations.

Marked GF on the back side. Grotesque are wall paintings decorations, dating back to Augustan period Roman painting, rediscovered and very popular from the end of the 15th century. The charm of antiquity is celebrated in the Renaissance using Greco-Roman decorative motifs. This type of decoration is characterized by the representation of being hybrids, monstrous, harpies or chimeras, often portrayed as very colorful and imaginative figurines.