Artistic Failures in Renaissance Ceramic Workshops

The history of Renaissance art is often told as a story of triumph, of technical problems solved, perhaps laboriously, but successfully. But could Renaissance artists ever afford to fail? The AFIRE project integrates failure into the story of 16th-century art which to many is synonymous with artistic perfection. It examines ceramics which constitute an ideal medium for the study of artistic failure because of the intricate technique and the reliance on many variables. Failure was a real threat to the livelihood of artists, who were financially responsible for the material aspects of their work. The high risks involved in the production of ceramics enable us to understand the consequences of failure for makers, patrons and beholders.