Solimene Campagna Dessert Plate, 6 1/2" — Hand-Painted Elephant, Rose

A hand-painted dessert plate from Ceramica Artistica Solimene in Vietri sul Mare, on the Amalfi Coast. White elephants walking around a rose-pink band, small yellow lemons between them, green leaves, and a dotted border in green around the rim.

The elephant is the surprise in the Campagna range. Everything else is a hen, a fish, a donkey, an octopus — things from the fields above Vietri or the water below it. The elephant is from neither, and it has been painted there anyway for decades, drawn round and cheerful with its trunk up. It is the plate people pick out of the stack first.

One animal, a band of color, a dotted border, painted by hand on a wheel-thrown body. At 6 1/2" it is a dessert or side plate — bread, cheese, a piece of cake, olives.

The 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.

Dimensions: 6 1/2"
Material: Hand-thrown, hand-painted Italian ceramic
Made in: Vietri sul Mare, Campania, Italy
Workshop: Ceramica Artistica Solimene
Pattern: Campagna — elephant on rose
Heritage: Vietri sul Mare, ceramics since the 15th century; Solimene since 1947
Care: Dishwasher safe
Sold as: Individual plate
Mixes with: The other Solimene Campagna animal plates — hen, bird, octopus, fish

Why an elephant?
It is the outlier in a range otherwise made of farm animals and sea creatures, and it has been part of Vietri's animal vocabulary for decades. Painters there have never limited themselves strictly to what walks the hills above the town.

What is Campagna?
Vietri's countryside pattern: one hand-painted animal on a white ground, ringed by a band of color and a dotted border.

Is it dishwasher safe?
Yes. Solimene pairs old methods — the potter's wheel, hand painting, lead-free glaze — with firing meant to stand up to a modern dishwasher.

Can I mix the animals?
That is how they are meant to be used. Each plate has its own animal and its own color band, and a stack of six different ones on a table is the whole point.

Is every plate identical?
No. Each is thrown and painted by hand, so the line of the elephant, the sweep of the band, and the spacing of the dots vary from plate to plate.

Is this a good Italian wedding gift?
Yes, particularly as a group. Six different animal plates make a memorable registry addition, and they cost far less than a formal dinner service while getting used far more.

Is this a good housewarming or hostess gift?
One of the best small ones in the store, and the elephant is the one people remember. A single plate at $40 is a real gift rather than a token.

Why buy Italian ceramics from Biordi rather than other retailers?
Biordi Art Imports has been San Francisco's source for authentic Italian ceramics since 1946, voted Best Overall Retailer in the SF Bay Guardian Best of the Bay readers' poll five consecutive years, and designated San Francisco Legacy Business #LBR-2020-21-029. We buy directly from named Italian workshops — FIMA, CF Deruta, Pia Formato, Eugenio Ricciarelli, Susanna DeSimone, Geribi, Bucci Ceramiche, Solimene, Ortigia Sicilia, Italesse, and Salviati. Questions: (415) 392-8096 or customerservice@biordi.com.

Ceramica Artistica Solimene — Vietri sul Mare, Campania. The Solimene family had worked in ceramics for generations when Vincenzo Solimene commissioned the architect Paolo Soleri, in 1951, to build a new factory above the sea at Vietri. Finished in 1954, it is the only building Soleri ever built in Europe: cantilevered into the hillside, its curved facade clad in rows of circular terracotta tiles — the material made inside used as the skin of the building. In 2004 the Italian government listed it as national heritage. It is still a working factory, run by Vincenzo's children, and this plate was thrown and painted there.

Italian ceramics are heirloom quality products, and can last lifetime with proper care. We have some suggestions that will preserve your majolica for years to come.

Majolica is dishwasher safe, but many people choose to hand wash their pieces as a precaution. Because majolica is a porous material, some pieces are not meant to hold liquid for a long period of time. Check for warning labels before ordering a product, as the pieces that are most notorious for "sweating" are appropriately labeled.

Majolica is sensitive to extreme temperatures, specifically boiling or freezing liquids. Pouring water with a rolling boil directly into a teapot, for example, may lead to breakage. To avoid this, temper the object. The industry standard is 620 degrees Celsius (1,148 degrees Fahrenheit). Quench the glass to cool it.

Crazing is common in well used majolica. The tiny cracks in the glaze do not affect the functionality of your majolica.

Majolica hand-crafted products should not be microwaved, as it may crack and/or break the ceramics.

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International Shipments

Please contact us at customerservice@biordi.com or call us at (415) 392-8096 for quotes to ship internationally.

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