The Furnaces first shop was situated at the Colonne di San Lorenzo on the banks of Naviglio that today passes Via De Amicis. It was in 1400 when, by request of Bianca Maria Visconti, The wife of the then Duke of Milan, Francesco Sforza, building work on The Hospital Maggiore (Ca'Grande), projected by Antonio Averulino also known as Filarete, started. It was then, that the finishings of certain tiles and sconces shaped by Solari and Guiniforte was entrusted to Giosuè Curti's Furnace at the nobel service of the Sforza family. In the same period, Fondulo, the architect and sculptor of the tiles used in Certosa in Pavia, used Curti to fire many of his friezes.

With the city continuously expanding, Pietro Curti moved the factory to Ripa di Porta Ticinese in 1700. It was then moved again in 1800 to the Conchetta on Naviglio Pavese by Felice Curti. In this new home, a raging fire destroyed most of the families documents who, after this unfortunate turn of events, moved with Attilio Curti in the early 1900's to their current premises where first Francesco and the Alberto have continued to keep the tradition of “Cotto Lombardo” alive.

The Furnace has always been frequented by artists who here, supplied with clay, cooked their sculptures and painted their majolica. Many of these artists became celebrated, others not, but their enthusiasm and attachment to the Fornace has always been special to us and for that we consider all of them great artists.

Some of the artists actually have their studios within our factory structure.

La fornace CURTI che prospicieva sul naviglio
alle colonne di S.Lorenzo di Porta Ticinese a Milano (secolo XV)

In the course of the centuries the Curti family has changed there premises four times but they have never left the Porta Ticinese area and they have never changed their trade from that of “furnace men”.
First they made and then re-consrtucted the cotto of many building, churches and gardens throughout Lombardia. Among them, Ca'Grande, the Certosa in Pavia, the Morimondo Abbey, Chiaravalle Abbey, santa Maria delle Grazie, the archbishopric, the Fossati theatre, the cemetry in Pavia, the cathedral of Zeme Lomellina, San Marco, the Cathedral of Monza and many, many others.

- REPERTI BIBLIOGRAFICI RIGUARDANTI LA FORNACE CURTI NEI SECOLI
PASSATI SCOPERTI CASUALMENTE ALLA BIBLIOTECA BRAIDENSE -

SAGGIO SULLE ANTICHE CERAMICHE DI MILANO 457
milanesi : del 1787 e l'istrumento di abolizione della Università dei fornaciai di vetro e maiolica, essedone allora abate Pietro Curti ; del 1790 ( 18 marzo ) una deliberazione del Reale Consiglio di Governo di proporre un premio trenta zecchini a chi primo indicasse nello stato un giacimento di argilla, che avesse i requisiti adatti a far terraglie del tipo inglese.

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situata nella via di S. Gio. in Intra ho fatto costruire alcuni vasi che per verità riuscirono eccellenti ; e così anche in Milano stessa nella fornace del signor Giosuè Curti alla ripa di Porta Ticinese ho con quelle terre medesime fabbricato storte per diversi usi chimici, e in particolare per le fabbriche di acquaforte che non la cedono in qualità a quelle che ci provengono dall'estero. Attualmente mi sto , non senza ben fondata lusinga di riuscirci , ingegnando di farne crogiuoli che possano servire alle fusioni metalliche

OSSERVAZIONIE
RICERCHE
MINERALOGICO - CHIMICHE
DEL CHIMICO
GAETANO ROSINA

MILANO
PREMIO GIOVANNI PISOTTA
1819