Solimene — Hand-Painted Ceramics from Vietri sul Mare
Ceramica Artistica Solimene has made hand-thrown, hand-painted ceramics in Vietri sul Mare, on the Amalfi Coast, since 1947. Biordi Art Imports carries Solimene in San Francisco.
Vietri sul Mare
Vietri sits at the eastern end of the Amalfi Coast, where the cliffs come down to Salerno. Ceramics have been made there since the 15th century, and the town is known for a particular kind of painting: loose, confident, brightly colored, and cheerful rather than formal. Where Deruta majolica is precise and Renaissance in feeling, Vietri is a coastal hand — fewer strokes, more air, animals and lemons and sea.
The factory Paolo Soleri built
The Solimene family had worked in ceramics for generations when Vincenzo Solimene commissioned the architect Paolo Soleri, in 1951, to design a new factory. It was finished in 1954.
Soleri had studied in Turin and then spent time with Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin before returning to Italy, and the building he made at Vietri is the only one he ever built in Europe. It is cantilevered into the hillside above the sea, its curved facade clad in rows of circular terracotta tiles and mosaic glass — the material the factory makes, used as the skin of the building that makes it. Inside, Y-shaped pillars open the workshop into something closer to a temple than a factory floor.
In 2004 the Italian government listed it as a building of national cultural and landscape heritage value. It is still a working factory, run by Vincenzo Solimene's children, and it is still where these plates are thrown and painted.
Campagna — the animals
Campagna means countryside, and it is the name for Vietri's best-known decorative tradition: a single animal painted on a white ground, ringed by a band of solid color and a border of hand-laid dots. Farm animals and sea creatures both — whatever was in the fields above the town or the water below it.
Each piece is thrown on the wheel and painted by hand, one animal at a time. The band of color is laid down with a loaded brush and the dots are placed individually, which is why no two rims are ever quite the same and why the animals have personality rather than precision.
Questions buyers ask
Where is Solimene made?
In Vietri sul Mare, in the province of Salerno, at the eastern end of the Amalfi Coast. The factory has operated there since 1947.
What is Campagna?
Vietri's countryside pattern: one hand-painted animal on a white ground, surrounded by a band of color and a dotted border. Common subjects include the hen, the rooster, the donkey, the elephant, the octopus, the fish, and birds.
Is Solimene dishwasher safe?
Yes. The factory pairs old methods — the potter's wheel, hand painting, lead-free glaze — with firing meant to stand up to a modern dishwasher. Check the care note on each product page, since care can vary by piece.
Is every piece different?
Yes. Each one is thrown and painted by hand, so the line of the animal, the sweep of the color band, and the spacing of the dots vary from piece to piece. That variation is the evidence of the hand, not a defect.
What is the connection to Buon Ricordo plates?
Many Buon Ricordo plates — the commemorative plates Italian restaurants gave to guests who ordered the house signature dish — were painted in Vietri, and a number at Solimene. Biordi carries both.
Why does Biordi carry Solimene?
Biordi has imported hand-painted Italian ceramics since 1946 and is a San Francisco Legacy Business (#LBR-2020-21-029). Solimene is one of the few Italian workshops whose work is recognized as much for its architecture and its history as for what comes out of the kiln, and it is the clearest example of the Vietri hand alongside the Deruta work that fills the store.
Shop Solimene at Biordi
Campagna dessert plates, 6 1/2", hand-painted at Vietri sul Mare. Sold individually so you can mix the animals or build the group:
Call (415) 392-8096 or email customerservice@biordi.com to ask what is in the store now.
Biordi Art Imports · 412 Columbus Avenue, North Beach, San Francisco · Importing from Italy since 1946.