Molaroni Pesaro Biography
In 1880 Vincenzo Molaroni took over the "Benucci e Latti" factory in Pesaro, previously owned by his uncle Pietro Latti and active since 1814, where he had started learning the art of ceramics at a very young age. The factory produces works of great formal and technical quality, of classic taste and Renaissance inspiration but also some highly innovative works. In 1881 the factory took part in the Milan Exhibition and the following year in the Turin Exhibition. In 1884, thanks to the good commercial success achieved, the factory moved to larger premises in via Cassi in Pesaro. In 1885 the factory, which made use of some talented artists such as the decorator Cesare Gai, Tito Magrini, Vittorio Benvenuti, Enrico Cardinali and Corrado Giuliani, participated with some works in the Universal Exposition of Antwerp and subsequently in all the main events and exhibitions national companies in the sector, always enjoying commercial success and quality certificates. The brand, used until around 1900, consists of the dry-engraved monogram VM and the writing Pesaro. In 1900 the company changed its name to "Società Anonima Molaroni & C." and the brand becomes the graphic symbol of a swan with the words Pesaro & MC imprinted in the pasta. In the same year the first catalog of the factory was published, the second edition of which, in which 915 artefacts are illustrated, was printed in 1908. From 1908 the factory brand became Molaroni/Pesaro written in blue and in the following years the wording Made in was added. Italy. In 1910 Vincenzo Molaroni was the sole owner of the company which employed between twenty and twenty-five people including workers, modelers and painters. Numerous artists worked in the factory in recent years, including his brother Giuseppe Molaroni and his sons Francesco, Eliseo and Telesforo as well as Letizia Bertozzini, Romolo Bezziccheri, Giuseppe Cartocceti, Ferruccio Mengaroni, Cesare and Enrico Morbidelli, Enrico Spadoni, Alfredo Ciabotti, Valentina Siepi, Nemorino Sora, Pia Piovaticci, Pietro Turri, Cesare Nicoletti, Pietro Ciccoli, Violetta Giuliani, Amedeo Olmeda, Laura and Gina Falagrassa, the Amintore brothers, Maria and Anna Giardini, Giulio Patrignani, Nicola Francolini and numerous others. In 1912, when Vincenzo, at the age of 53, died, the ownership of the factory passed to his children and his brother Giuseppe and under the guidance of Francesco, the factory continued to produce high quality majolica, marked "Molaroni-Pesaro in blue, below the company name "establishment Ceramico Molaroni & C." written in blue, the word Italy or Italia began to appear. In 1921 the company headquarters moved to via Cassi 1 and Vincenzo's brother, Giuseppe, became the managing director. the name of the company becomes "Società Anonima Ceramiche Molaroni" and the brand consists of the writing "Molaroni Pesaro" in light blue. In 1925, under the technical direction of Francesco Molaroni, the factory presented some interesting works at the Exhibition of Decorative Arts in Paris, receiving the applause of Giò Ponti who, citing it in the technical report of the exhibition, defines it as "an old and famous (manufacturing) custodian of magnificent techniques". In 1929, with the great recession, the factory was forced into bankruptcy, but three years later Francesco Molaroni regained possession. of the plants and in partnership with Armando Lugli and Giulio Coli, he founded "Ceramiche F. Molaroni & C." whose production is characterized by the wording Molaroni Pesaro in block letters and in black paint. In 1931 the management of the factory was entrusted to Edgardo Ghiselli, brother of Adriana Ghiselli, wife of Francesco Molaroni. Since 1932 the brand used is "Molaroni Pesaro" written in black. From Francesco's death in 1934 until 1950, the year of its closure, the factory was managed by his wife Adriana Ghiselli. In 1952 the daughters of Francesco Molaroni and Adriana Ghiselli, Magda and Gabriella Molaroni, took up the family tradition and re-founded "Ceramiche Molaroni", with workshops in via Luca della Robbia 1 in Pesaro and signed their ceramics each with their own initials followed from the writing Molaroni Pesaro. In recent years the following have collaborated with the manufacturer, among others: Franco Amaranto, Valentino Angelini, Guerrino Bardeggia, Auro Salvaneschi, Bruno Bruni, Elso Sora, Gilberto Floriani, Maria Antonietta Gallina, Guglielmo Malato, Ferruccio Marchetti, Giorgio Matteini, Tonino Naponelli, Gabriella Pandolfi, Giuseppe Papagni, Bruno Scarparo, Ulrico Schettini Montefiore, Rosetta Tamburini, Romolo Verzolini, Achille Wildi and G.Yony. The production of this period is marked "Molaroni MG Pesaro". In 1963 the company passed into the hands of Raffaella Molaroni who ran it until 1981 when she was forced to suspend production, but in 1986 the factory was reborn again with the name "Ceramiche Artistiche Molaroni", under the guidance of Marcella Jannone Molaroni, nephew of Francesco. Among the collaborators of the last years of the century we remember Gilberta Agabiti, Antonio Delle Rose. The company is still operating.
