Faenza in the context of "Battle of Faventia (542)"

Faience or faïence (/faɪˈɑːns, feɪˈ-, -ˈɒ̃s/; French: [fajɑ̃s] ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip of a lead glaze, was a major advance in the history of pottery. The invention seems to have been made in Iran or the Middle East before the ninth century. A kiln capable of producing temperatures exceeding 1,000 °C (1,830 °F) was required to achieve this result, after millennia of refined pottery-making traditions. The term is now used for a wide variety of pottery from several parts of the world, including many types of European painted wares, often produced as cheaper versions of porcelain styles.

English generally uses various other terms for well-known sub-types of faience. Italian tin-glazed earthenware, at least the early forms, is called maiolica in English, Dutch wares are called Delftware, and their English equivalents English delftware, leaving "faience" as the normal term in English for French, German, Spanish, Portuguese wares and those of other countries not mentioned (it is also the usual French term, and fayence in German). The name faience is simply the French name for Faenza, in the Romagna near Ravenna, Italy, where a painted majolica ware on a clean, opaque pure-white ground, was produced for export as early as the fifteenth century.

The Lamone is a river in the Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna regions of Italy. The source of the river is in the Appennino Tosco-Emiliano mountains in the province of Florence. The river flows northeast near Marradi before crossing the border into the province of Ravenna. It continues flowing northeast near Brisighella, Faenza, Russi and Bagnacavallo before curving eastward north of Ravenna and entering the Adriatic Sea near Marina Romea and Marina di Ravenna.

Tin-glazed pottery is earthenware covered in lead glaze with added tin oxide which is white, shiny and opaque (see tin-glazing for the chemistry); usually this provides a background for brightly painted decoration. It has been important in Islamic and European pottery, but very little used in East Asia. The pottery body is usually made of red or buff-colored earthenware and the white glaze imitated Chinese porcelain. The decoration on tin-glazed pottery is usually applied to the unfired glaze surface by brush with metallic oxides, commonly cobalt oxide, copper oxide, iron oxide, manganese dioxide and antimony oxide. The makers of Italian tin-glazed pottery from the late Renaissance blended oxides to produce detailed and realistic polychrome paintings.

The earliest tin-glazed pottery appears to have been made in Iraq in the 9th century, the oldest fragments having been excavated during the First World War from the palace of Samarra about fifty miles north of Baghdad. From there it spread to Egypt, Persia and Spain before reaching Italy in mid-15th century, early Renaissance, Holland in the 16th century and England, France and other European countries shortly after.

Brisighella (Romagnol: Brisighëla) is a comune (municipality) in the province of Ravenna, region of Emilia-Romagna, in Northeast Italy. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy").

Brisighella borders the following municipalities: Casola Valsenio, Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole, Faenza, Forlì, Marradi, Modigliana, Palazzuolo sul Senio, Riolo Terme. It originates from a rocca castle ordered by Maghinardo Pagani and later expanded by Francesco Manfredi, lord of Faenza.

The Manfredi were a noble family of northern Italy, who, with some interruptions, held the seigniory of the city of Faenza in Romagna from the beginning of the 14th century to the end of the 15th century. The family also held the seigniory of Imola for several decades at the same time.

The first mention of the Manfredi family in Faenza is dated 1050. The family members were patricians of the city and consuls. The first Manfredi lord of Faenza was Francesco I Manfredi, son of Alberghetto and the last was Astorre Manfredi IV.