Desimone Italy Plate, Alicudi Flower, Bright Intense Colors, 1970s

Description

10" DESIMONE Italy Plate
Alicudi Flower, Bright Intense Colors (c. 1970s)

This is a beautiful, very intensely glazed plate signed … more 10" DESIMONE Italy Plate
Alicudi Flower, Bright Intense Colors (c. 1970s)

This is a beautiful, very intensely glazed plate signed "Desimone," in a pattern that today is often referred to as Alicudi (after one of the Aeolian Islands in Sicily). Giovanni DeSimone operated his ceramics studio from the 1960s until he retired in 1981 (and left the company to his daughters). He is noted for having worked with Picasso, and his mid-century modern style has been very popular with collectors.

This particular plate measures 10 inches wide across the rim. It has a blue and green flower in the center, surrounded by wide bands of red, blue, and yellow, finished with red dots around the rim. The pattern is still being produced today by Ceramiche De Simone (which is where I found the pattern name Alicudi). I picked up this plate at an estate sale in Chicago, and believe the mark on the back indicates it is an older piece.

The plate is in excellent condition, with no chips, cracks, or crazing. It makes a gorgeous display. I did read some reports that De Simone Pottery was not imported to the US for many years because the US inspectors claimed there was cadmium in the glaze, which De Simone vehemently denied. Still, you might not want to eat off it!

The back side has a large hand-written mark for "DESIMONE ITALY." There is a secondary mark that looks like a number (perhaps a 9), and the letters C.A. less