Deruta's 12oz.Mug With 4" Rim and Accompanying 7-1/4" Underliner; popular Never Used.

Deruta, a hamlet in the Umbri region of Italy, is surrounded by Tuscany to the west and Rome to the south. The main principality in the area popular is Perugia. Deruta has a population of 10,000 year round and is probably the most notable ceramics creation area in Italy.
Deruta gained its name from the Gothic Wars in the 500s. Deruta means "ruin" and after the aforementioned war, about all that was left was carnage and a collapsed city. The town was rebuilt only to have factions from Perugia claiming ownership of the area. For hundreds of years this "cold war" continued. In the early 1400's one magistrate would be sent from Perugia to manage Deruta with the consortium of four other men "of good standing" from Deruta.
But all was not well; later in the 1400's the plague struck . The city was rewalled again but in a smaller area as the ravages of the plague killed over 50% of the population
By the 1500's Perugia was still ruling "with the help of course of those four noble men from Deruta" Taxes soared and if we delve into perhaps political science, the church was not gaining full value and decided once and for all that Perugia's leadership be banished from the area. The Paglioni family, rulers from Perugia, were banished and the church through Pope Paul III gave the blessing to this small town and it became one of the Papal States, governed by the church.
So; in giving this history of conflict and disease, the question arises as to why these folks stayed in an area that went from war to war and death in so great a degree. The basic reason that the clay in the area was good for ceramic.
It is said that the great painter, Raphael, used borders on his paintings that were later adopted for styles on the ceramics produced here. Whatever the case, design and the colors became famous the world around. There is, however, not one company that makes these ceramics. It is even a backyard occupation where locals will make the greenware, take it to a local kiln for firing and then return it home to pain the recognizable design. For this reason, some ceramics from this area are literally works of art where others are not so much.
Deruta, the style, is not only made in Italy, but in other European countries. The name, like Capidomonte, refers to an area where the design originated .
The mug displayed shows the artistry of the maker and was made in the town of Deruta. It was never used with a 4" opening and 3-1/4" high. The 7-1/4" plate is showing the same skill. (Fima is the name of the artist, not referring to the musical society from Rome)
Both are new and have no chips or cracks.