{"product_id":"solimene-campagna-dessert-plate-elephant","title":"Solimene Campagna Dessert Plate, 6 1\/2\" — Hand-Painted Elephant, Rose","description":"\u003ch4\u003eDESCRIPTION\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA hand-painted dessert plate from \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/solimene\"\u003eCeramica Artistica Solimene\u003c\/a\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne 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.\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\n\u003ch4\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 6 1\/2\"\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMaterial:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hand-thrown, hand-painted Italian ceramic\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMade in:\u003c\/strong\u003e Vietri sul Mare, Campania, Italy\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWorkshop:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ceramica Artistica Solimene\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePattern:\u003c\/strong\u003e Campagna — elephant on rose\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeritage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Vietri sul Mare, ceramics since the 15th century; Solimene since 1947\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCare:\u003c\/strong\u003e Dishwasher safe\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSold as:\u003c\/strong\u003e Individual plate\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMixes with:\u003c\/strong\u003e The other Solimene Campagna animal plates — hen, bird, octopus, fish\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy an elephant?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nIt 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is Campagna?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nVietri's countryside pattern: one hand-painted animal on a white ground, ringed by a band of color and a dotted border.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs it dishwasher safe?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nYes. Solimene pairs old methods — the potter's wheel, hand painting, lead-free glaze — with firing meant to stand up to a modern dishwasher.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan I mix the animals?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nThat 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs every plate identical?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nNo. 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs this a good Italian wedding gift?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nYes, 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs this a good housewarming or hostess gift?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nOne 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy buy Italian ceramics from Biordi rather than other retailers?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nBiordi 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eArtisan Story\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCeramica Artistica Solimene — Vietri sul Mare, Campania.\u003c\/strong\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Solimene","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50499298492469,"sku":"6767","price":40.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1001\/9802\/files\/ChatGPTImageSep22_2026_05_19_19PM.png?v=1790122806","url":"https:\/\/biordi.com\/products\/solimene-campagna-dessert-plate-elephant","provider":"Biordi Art Imports","version":"1.0","type":"link"}