{"product_id":"desimone-nativity-scene","title":"Susanna De Simone Nativity Scene","description":"\u003ch4\u003eDESCRIPTION\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis \u003cstrong\u003eSusanna De Simone Nativity Scene\u003c\/strong\u003e is hand-painted by \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/susanna-desimone\"\u003eSusanna DeSimone\u003c\/a\u003e at her family's historic studio — \u003cstrong\u003eFabbrica della Ceramica\u003c\/strong\u003e — in Palermo, Sicily. Each piece in this Nativity scene is hand-crafted and hand-painted in Palermo, Sicily. Because every piece is fully handmade, each Nativity has its own unique characteristics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach Susanna DeSimone piece is hand-crafted, hand-glazed, and hand-painted in Palermo. Because the work is fully handmade, no two pieces are ever identical.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe small imperfections such as the difference in color, shape, diameter or small bubbles that form inside, do not constitute a defect but testify that it is actually an artisanal product.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePattern:\u003c\/strong\u003e Susanna DeSimone Nativity Scene — a Susanna DeSimone original\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMaterial:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hand-painted Sicilian majolica (tin-glazed earthenware)\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMade in:\u003c\/strong\u003e Palermo, Sicily\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eArtisan:\u003c\/strong\u003e Susanna DeSimone, Fabbrica della Ceramica\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCare:\u003c\/strong\u003e Display piece · Dust with a soft, dry cloth · Not dishwasher safe\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSignature:\u003c\/strong\u003e Signed by Susanna DeSimone; bears the \"Fabbrica della Ceramica\" studio mark\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs this a good religious gift?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYes — this is a traditional Italian gift for \u003cstrong\u003ebaptisms, first communions, confirmations, weddings, Christmas, and Easter\u003c\/strong\u003e. Susanna DeSimone's joyful, brightly-colored interpretation makes these contemporary heirlooms that work in modern Italian-American homes as well as more traditional ones.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs this hand-painted in Palermo?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYes — every Susanna DeSimone piece is hand-crafted, hand-glazed, and hand-painted at Fabbrica della Ceramica in Palermo, Sicily. Nothing in this collection is mass-produced or imported from elsewhere.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat's the difference between Susanna DeSimone and Giovanni DeSimone?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGiovanni DeSimone founded the studio in mid-20th-century Palermo and worked alongside Pablo Picasso, who shared his innovation of using bright red in glazed ceramics. Susanna DeSimone is Giovanni's daughter and continues the studio today, now operating as Fabbrica della Ceramica. She paints in a similar cubist-folk style as her father but with her own contemporary palette and signature.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy buy Italian gifts from Biordi rather than other retailers?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBiordi Art Imports has been San Francisco's source for authentic Italian ceramics and gifts since 1946. Voted \u003cstrong\u003eBest Overall Retailer\u003c\/strong\u003e in the San Francisco Bay Guardian Best of the Bay readers' poll for \u003cstrong\u003efive consecutive years\u003c\/strong\u003e. Designated a \u003cstrong\u003eSan Francisco Legacy Business\u003c\/strong\u003e (#LBR-2020-21-029), and the city declared \u003cstrong\u003eMay 1 \"Biordi Art Imports Day\"\u003c\/strong\u003e in 2021. Every piece comes from a named Italian artisan, family workshop, or heritage house we work with directly — FIMA, CF Deruta, Pia Formato, Eugenio Ricciarelli, Susanna DeSimone, Geribi, Bucci Ceramiche, Ortigia Sicilia, Italesse, and Salviati. So each piece is genuinely one-of-a-kind. Not a stock-photo listing, not a mass-produced import, not a reproduction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eARTISAN STORY\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Susanna DeSimone artistic tradition was founded in Palermo, Sicily, by her father \u003cstrong\u003eGiovanni DeSimone\u003c\/strong\u003e — a renowned and innovative artisan known for intense colors and a cubist drawing style similar to Pablo Picasso. Early in his career, Giovanni DeSimone worked alongside Picasso, and the two shared an innovation: the use of bright red in glazed ceramics, which Picasso loved. \u003cem\u003e\"I express what comes through my imagination, filtering old and new memories, comparing my experiences and my understanding,\"\u003c\/em\u003e Giovanni DeSimone wrote in 1991.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBiordi Art Imports was the first US distributor of Giovanni DeSimone's work\u003c\/strong\u003e — a relationship that began in the studio's earliest years in America and continues today with his daughter, \u003cstrong\u003eSusanna DeSimone\u003c\/strong\u003e, who carries the tradition forward. Her limited production bears her signature alongside the studio's new name, \u003cstrong\u003eFabbrica della Ceramica\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"DE SIMONE","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40106043572277,"sku":"4099","price":525.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1001\/9802\/products\/image_9193e2d2-a51b-4333-8300-abfe6cabe054.jpg?v=1640649661","url":"https:\/\/biordi.com\/products\/desimone-nativity-scene","provider":"Biordi Art Imports","version":"1.0","type":"link"}