Solimene Campagna Dessert Plate, 6 1/2″ — Hand-Painted Birds in Flight, Lilac

DESCRIPTION

A hand-painted dessert plate from Ceramica Artistica Solimene in Vietri sul Mare, on the Amalfi Coast. Blue birds in flight across a pale lilac band, with green leaves and small red berries between them, and a border of red dots around the rim.

This is the quietest plate in the Campagna range. The lilac ground is softer than the yellows and corals, and the birds are caught mid-flight rather than standing — wings out, a few quick strokes each, scattered around the rim like something seen out of the corner of the eye.

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.

Specifications

Dimensions: 6 1/2″
Material: Hand-thrown, hand-painted Italian ceramic
Made in: Vietri sul Mare, Campania, Italy
Workshop: Ceramica Artistica Solimene
Pattern: Campagna — birds in flight on lilac
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, elephant, octopus, fish

Questions buyers ask

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. Farm animals and sea creatures both, depending on whether the painter looked up the hill or down at the water.

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. Buy them one at a time or build the set.

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

Is this a good Christmas gift?
Yes. A hand-painted birds-in-flight dessert plate from Ceramica Artistica Solimene in Vietri sul Mare is a gift that comes out for Christmas dessert every year, and it makes an easy hostess gift on its own. Order by December 15, 2026 for ground shipping in time for Christmas, or add Florentine gift wrap at checkout and we’ll send it ready to give.

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. A single plate at $40 is a real gift rather than a token, and it does not duplicate anything the host already owns.

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 [email protected].

Artisan Story

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.