Fantechi Biography
Fantechi In 1896 the Florentine Egisto Fantechi (porcelain decorator), with the financial help of his father, a building contractor, took over the "Società Industriale" artistic majolica factory in Sesto Fiorentino and in partnership with Ugo Zaccagnini (modeller), Francesco Grassi (painter of majolica), Augusto Fantini (kiln maker), Luigi Ceccherini (painter and decorator), Paolo Banchelli (painter) and Giuseppe Conti (trainer), founded the ceramic factory "SIFMA" (Società Industriale Fabricazione Maioliche Artistiche), specialized in the production of ceramics historiated inspired by the Italian Renaissance tradition. The first recognition arrived in 1902 and the company obtained a gold medal at the International Exhibition in Lille, France. In 1906 he took over all the shares of the company, gave the factory the company name "Fantechi Ceramiche" and created a production with high quality Art Nouveau decorations, as well as continuing the series of plastics and decorations inspired by models of the Renaissance tradition. After the difficult years of the war in the 1920s he attempted to renew production by creating twentieth-century style decorations and hired young artists at the factory including Mario Filippucci, Enzo Ceccherini, son of Luigi, and Guido Colucci. Upon Egisto's death in 1933, the factory passed to his sons Mario and Renato. After the Second World War, the management of the company passed to Folco and Enzo Fantechi and the painter Ruggero Vannucci collaborated with the manufacturer. The production of the factory, which remained active thanks to Egisto's heirs until 1961, was presented in numerous national and international exhibitions and the company exported most of the manufactured products abroad.
