Hand-Painted Buon Ricordo Italian Plate – Rubàno La Bulesca I Rovinassi

DESCRIPTION

A hand-painted majolica plate made for Ristorante La Bulesca in Rubàno, in the province of Padua, Veneto, as part of the Buon Ricordo collection. Buon Ricordo plates were commissioned by individual Italian restaurants and given to guests who ordered the house signature dish — the meal went home as a plate.

This one celebrates i rovinassi — the house dish, its name lettered on a gold banner across the lower half of the plate. Above it the painter laid out a loose still life in yellow, teal and dusty rose: an ox's head at the center with its horns swept wide, a bird at either side, small fish, olives and greens scattered across a single horizontal line, all drawn quickly in black outline with color washed in behind. Gold rim, black hand-lettering in a casual script.

Each Buon Ricordo plate is painted by hand and carries the individuality of the artisan. Collectors group them by region, by city, or by dish. This is the second La Bulesca plate in the collection and the loosest, most modern painting of the group.

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: 9" diameter
Material: Hand-painted Italian majolica
Made in: Italy
Commissioned for: Ristorante La Bulesca, Rubàno (Padua), Veneto
Dish: I Rovinassi — the house dish of La Bulesca
Heritage: Buon Ricordo restaurant collection, Italy
Care: Hand-wash recommended · Not dishwasher safe · Not microwave/oven safe
Sold as: Individual plate
Mixes with: Other Buon Ricordo plates in the Biordi collection

Questions buyers ask

What is a Buon Ricordo plate? Buon Ricordo means "good memory." Member restaurants across Italy each commissioned a hand-painted ceramic plate showing their signature dish, and gave it to guests who ordered it. Every plate names a real restaurant, a real town, and a real recipe. They were never sold in shops, which is why collectors seek them out.

What dish is on this plate? I Rovinassi, La Bulesca's own dish, named in Veneto dialect on the gold banner. The painting gathers meat, birds, fish and vegetables together on one line, which suggests a mixed plate rather than a single preparation.

Why does the restaurant appear twice in this collection? La Bulesca in Rubàno commissioned more than one Buon Ricordo plate. The other in the collection shows duck breast with sour cherries, painted in a much tighter, more decorative hand — the pair make an interesting contrast hung side by side.

Can I use this plate for food, or is it for display? It is best treated as a display or collector's piece. Hand-wash only, and keep it out of the dishwasher, microwave, and oven.

Is this a good Italian wedding gift? Yes, particularly for a couple with a connection to Padua or the Veneto. A Buon Ricordo plate carries a specific place and a specific meal, which makes it more personal than a generic dinnerware gift.

Is this a good housewarming or hostess gift? It is — and the loose, almost mid-century line makes it the easiest plate in the group to hang in a contemporary room.

Why buy Italian gifts 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 reader's poll five consecutive years, and designated San Francisco Legacy Business #LBR-2020-21-029. The City of San Francisco declared May 1 "Biordi Art Imports Day" in 2021. We buy directly from Italian artisans and workshops: FIMA, Pia Formato, Eugenio Ricciarelli, Susanna DeSimone, Geribi, Iva Boccali, Ceramiche Bucci, IDEART, Ortigia Sicilia, Italesse, and Salviati. Questions? Call (415) 392-8096 or email customerservice@biordi.com.

Can this be customized or personalized? No. Buon Ricordo plates were painted for a specific restaurant and a specific dish and cannot be altered or reordered. For customized pieces, Eugenio Ricciarelli, FIMA, Pia Formato, and Geribi accept special orders — a name, date, or occasion painted on the piece, or a different size or shape in the workshop's existing pattern. Lead time is typically 3–6 months because each piece is hand-painted to order in Italy. Contact Biordi Art Imports at (415) 392-8096 or customerservice@biordi.com.

Artisan Story

Buon Ricordo — the plate that remembers the meal

The Buon Ricordo collection began as an agreement among Italian restaurants: each house would choose the one dish it was known for, commission a hand-painted ceramic plate showing it, and give that plate to any guest who ordered it. The plates were never for sale. You had to eat the dish to earn one.

What resulted is an unusual kind of archive. Hundreds of plates, each naming a restaurant, a town, and a recipe — Sardinian sea bass, Venetian cuttlefish, Ferrarese sausage, Roman lamb. Read together, they map Italian regional cooking restaurant by restaurant, in the hand of whoever painted them.

Vietri sul Mare and the Solimene workshop

Many Buon Ricordo plates were painted in Vietri sul Mare, on the cliffs of the Amalfi Coast, where ceramics have been made for five centuries. The best-known workshop there is Ceramiche Solimene, founded in the mid-20th century by Vincenzo Solimene and housed in a building designed by Paolo Soleri — its exterior clad in colored tile shards, as vivid as the work made inside. Vietri painters are known for bold color, loose confident line, and a sense of humor, all of which show in the Buon Ricordo plates.

Biordi Art Imports has brought Italian ceramics to San Francisco since 1946.