MONTE LUPO - Mount Wolf

There has been Italian town called MONTE LUPO producing pottery with paintings on white glazes since the eleventh century. Along with Florence and Feanza, the town of Montelupo has been at the centre of this style of pottery from the very beginning.

The decisive development in Italian white tin-glazed pottery was the arrival from Spain of the Hispano-Moresque of Velencia. The island of Mojotca was a staging post on this trade route between Spain and Italy and hence gave its name “MAIOLICA” to the Italian version of Hispano-Moresque pottery.

The works which were produced combined the talents of potters, painters and sculptors; each contributing together to produce one finished piece .

The colours that they used were clear and brilliant and the subject matter varied from elaborate patterns of formalized foliage to the motifs which held political significance.

It was in 1506 that the potters from Montelupo, who had been at the forefront of the “MAIOLICA” work since its development, set up a sister pottery at Caffaggiolo, near Florence. This workshop was intended to help Montelupo supply the needs of the families in the surrounding Florence.

Today the town of Monte Lupo continues this tradition of quality pieces, both decorative and functional and the entire town derives its livelihood from pottery in one form or another.

We as the new “Monte Lupo”, hope to emulate not only their vision but also their combination of people, skills, commitment and long term success

Our founding potter David Usher's mother-in-law was trained in Monte Lupo, as a potter and decorator this way of working had such influence on Usher’s practice that the business he developed for Multicap became known as the MONTE LUPO pottery.