Elio Cerbella (1933-2019) 'Bucchero' Female Ceramic Sculpture, Italy, 1950s. This is a beautifully stylized mid century ceramic sculpture made by Elio Cerbella from the village of Gubbio in Italy. In Gubbio there was a following of pottery artists who worked in the traditional 'bucchero' style. This ceramic sculpture is one of those 'bucchero' works. Elio Cerbella (1933 - 2019) was a ceramic artist, sculptor, who worked his whole life in Gubbio. He was a true craftsman and Cerbella did not settle for the materials available on the market, but went on a search of clay deposits along the watercourses of the Gubbio countryside. There, he obtaining high-quality amalgams that gave his 'bucchero' pieces an extraordinarily quality. The 'bucchero' ceramics get their characteristic black colour through a special process in which the oxygen is removed from the red clay. So no paint or varnish is used. This is a technique that dates back to the Etruscans. This ceramic head is in very good vintage condition. Signed 'Cerbella' and 'Gubbio' at the inner rim at the base.