A workshop specialist associated with the formation and development of sculptural models in clay, recorded as a distinct competence in the Pietrasanta bottega tradition.
Formatore in creta is a workshop designation indexed in the Pietrasanta interviews of Le voci del marmo. It refers to a specialist associated with the clay stage of sculptural production.
The exact division between the artist, modeller, assistant, and formatore can vary by workshop and period, so the term should be read as part of a larger bottega division of labor rather than as a universally standardized modern job title.
Etymology
Italian: formatore, “one who forms,” + in creta, “in clay.”
Sculptor Notes
This term matters because the clay stage of a large sculpture was not always the work of one pair of hands. Historic and modern ateliers could divide modeling, enlargement, mold-making, plaster work, and stone carving among specialists.
References
https://levocidelmarmo.sns.it/lista_times.php