Sardinian terracotta amphora attributed to Carmen Nuoro, 1970s - Carmen Nuoro - Italy - 20th century

Sardinian Hand-Painted Terracotta Amphora Vase, "Del Carmen" (Nuoro/Dorgali, Sardinia)

Traditional Sardinian double-handled amphora vases (vasi anforetta), hand-thrown in terracotta and hand-painted in the folk style of the Barbagia region of Sardinia, attributed to the workshop tradition of Del Carmen, based in Dorgali, province of Nuoro, a well-known name among Sardinian ceramicists working in this figurative, sgraffito-decorated style.

Form
Classic two-handled anfora silhouette: a bulbous body tapering to a narrow neck, flanked by a pair of tall, squared strap handles rising above the rim. Foot ring finished in glossy black glaze, contrasting with the matte terracotta body.

Decoration
Vase is decorated by hand in the traditional Sardinian costume ("costume sardo") idiom:

The neck of the vase bears a single figure in regional folk dress, one vase depicts a male figure in traditional black-and-red Barbagia costume, the other a female figure in a dark skirt, red bodice, and blue apron trim, both rendered in a stylized, folk-art manner typical of mid-20th-century Sardinian souvenir and artistic ceramics.
The body of the vase vase is decorated with a mirrored pair of rearing horses in dark brown glaze, finely incised with sgraffito hatching to render mane, musculature, and harness detail, flanking a central stylized green cactus/prickly-pear motif (fico d'India), a recurring emblem in Sardinian decorative ceramics.
The handles are decorated with a black-and-white "scale" or leaf motif on a red ground, echoing traditional textile patterning.
A narrow banded border in cream and terracotta separates the figurative neck scene from the horse frieze below.
The whole surface below the figures is worked with fine incised horizontal hatching (rigadura), a hallmark of hand-turned Sardinian terracotta of this type, giving texture and depth to the glaze.

Base
Unglazed terracotta well to the underside, consistent with traditional wheel-thrown production; visible throwing rings and light kiln firing marks, no visible maker's stamp in the photographs provided — please verify for an impressed or painted signature before listing as attributed.

The vase is rare because the fine sgraffito line-work combined with freehand figure and horse painting is a labor-intensive technique now practiced by very few remaining workshops around Dorgali and Nuoro. In modern decor, the tall silhouette and sculptural double handles make each vase work beautifully as a standalone statement object.

Condition
Good

Dimensions
diameter: 28 cm
diameter across handles: 14 cm
base diameter: 3,5 cm