roberto sironi continues italian tradition of bread stamping with madre pane

roberto sironi continues italian tradition of bread stamping with madre pane
all images © federico villa

a tool born of necessity, the bread stamp’s roots can be traced back to the rural landscapes of southern italy. in the ancient city of matera, people often marked their bread before placing it in communal ovens — the practice allowed bakers to recognize and show ownership of their individual goods. originally hand-carved from wood, they often bore symbols of the pastoral world with apotropaic meanings, and also indicated the owner with initials or family effigy. 

‘madre pane’ is designed as an earthen landscape of sculptural objects

the ‘madre pane’ collection is a modern interpretation of the tools by italian industrial designer roberto sironi. his investigation takes form in a series of four ornamental designs abstractly representing the ‘egg’, ‘mother hen’, ‘tree, and ‘millstone’. each refers respectively to the meanings of birth, maternal protection, growth, and strength. 

three different colors

made using refractory ceramic — a tactile raw material found in bakery ovens — the collection is finished in various colors. each displays the owner’s initial, completing the stamp in respect to original tradition. ‘madre pane’ stamps are produced by ceramiche puzzo in milan. 

marking bread

the collection is made with refractory ceramic

stamp with owner’s initials

detail of ‘millstone’

designboom has received this project through its ‘DIY submissions’ feature, which welcomes readers to submit their own work for publication. see more designboom readers submissions here.

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