Museo Civico della Ceramica di Nove

The Civic Museum of Ceramics of Nove documents the town’s long history of ceramic production. Housed in the former Regia Scuola d’Arte, its collection ranges from eighteenth-century maiolica and porcelain to contemporary work, including a 1950 terracotta vase by Pablo Picasso.

Why it matters

Ceramics shaped Nove’s workshops and artistic education for generations. The museum occupies the school established in 1875 through the bequest of sculptor Giuseppe De Fabris, and continues a collecting tradition that began there in 1925. Its collections show how local makers adapted their work across changing tastes and periods.

What to notice

The museum’s collection is arranged across three floors by period. Eighteenth-century maiolica and porcelain associated with the Antonibon manufactory are followed by nineteenth-century production and twentieth-century works connected with the Salone Internazionale della Ceramica in Vicenza. Among the latter is Picasso’s Grande Vaso con nudi femminili (1950), a terracotta vessel decorated with slip and inscribed “Vallauris Maj 1950.” The collection also includes popular ceramics and works acquired in 2023.

Context and history

The school that preceded the museum was founded in 1875 on the bequest of Giuseppe De Fabris, a sculptor born in Nove. It became the Regia Scuola d’Arte in 1890, and an early collection of local ceramics was established there in 1925. The civic museum opened in 1995 in the former school building. Its collections preserve the relationship between ceramic production, design and education in Nove.