Matera’s bread stamps. In the past, especially in poorer communities, it was customary for each family to prepare their own loaves of bread but bake them in the city oven. In Matera this custom lasted until the 1950s.
To distinguish one loaf from another, each family left a mark on the dough with a wooden stamp. Some used a letter, usually the initial of the head of the family, others a symbol that could be recognized even by those who could not read or write.
Bread stamps are also linked to a slightly more romantic custom. The men of Matera used to give a stamp to the girl they wanted to marry, the equivalent of our engagement ring. If she refused the stamp it meant she refused the marriage proposal.
Matera Terra
Matera – Italy
| Format | Quadrato – Square, Rotondo – Round |
|---|---|
| Mount | Canvas – Tela, Cristal – Vetro Acrilico, Metal – Alluminio |
| Frame | Senza Cornice | Unframed, Artbox – alluminio/silver, Artbox – nera/black, Con cornice in legno bianca | Wooden frame – white, Con cornice in legno nera | Wooden frame – black, Slimline alluminio | silver, Slimline bianca | white, Slimline nera | black, Slimline oro | gold |
| Size | Size 1 | 40×40 cm – 16"x16", Size 2 | 60×60 cm – 24"x24", Size 3 | 80×80 cm – 31"x31", Size 4 | 100×100 cm – 40"x40", Size 5 | 110×110 cm – 43"x43", Size 6 | 120×120 cm – 48"x48" |
