Vignoli Modern Italian Plate 19

DESCRIPTION

A 6" hand-painted tray by the Vignoli sisters of Faenza with an anchovy design in copper. Sized for appetizers, olives or a single course — and just as often hung or stood on a shelf.

The copper is the reason to look twice. Saura and Ivana Vignoli use a glazing and firing technique that brings a metallic sheen up out of the surface after firing, so the finish shifts as the light moves across it. It cannot be repeated exactly, which is why every piece is one of a kind.

Fish are the Vignoli signature — sardines and anchovies rendered flat and graphic rather than realistic. If you are buying more than one, the numbered designs are all different: no two anchovy plates are the same composition.

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" diameter
Material: Hand-painted Italian ceramic with copper glaze
Made in: Faenza, Emilia-Romagna
Workshop: Vignoli — Saura and Ivana Vignoli
Pattern: Anchovy design, Plate 19
Heritage: Faenza, where ceramics have been an economic backbone of the region for five centuries
Care: Hand-wash recommended · Not dishwasher, microwave or oven safe
Sold as: individual, one-of-a-kind
Mixes with: other Vignoli pieces, Blue Carnation from Faenza, Iva Boccali, Domiziani, plain white

Questions buyers ask

Is every piece different?
Yes. The copper finish comes out of the firing rather than being painted on flat, so no two pieces come out the same. The plate you receive is the plate in the photograph.

How do the numbered designs differ?
Each number is a different composition of the fish motif. Buying several gives you a set that relates without repeating — which is how most people buy them.

Can I eat off it?
Yes, it works as an appetizer plate — and an anchovy plate holding anchovies is the intended joke. Hand-wash it; copper-glazed surfaces do not belong in a dishwasher.

Is this a good Italian wedding gift?
Yes, and a good one for a couple who already own dinnerware. It is closer to a small artwork than to tableware, and it does not need to match anything.

Is this a good housewarming or hostess gift?
Yes — at 6" it is small enough to be an easy gift and striking enough not to read as a token.

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 and is a San Francisco Legacy Business (#LBR-2020-21-029). Pieces are bought directly from the Italian workshops that make them — FIMA, CF Deruta, Pia Formato, Eugenio Ricciarelli, Susanna DeSimone, Geribi, Bucci Ceramiche, Ortigia Sicilia, Italesse, and Salviati among them. Nothing comes through a distributor, and staff can tell you who painted your piece and where.

Can this be customized or personalized?
Vignoli pieces are one-of-a-kind and are not personalized. Customization and personalization are available on select pieces. Eugenio Ricciarelli, FIMA, Pia Formato, Geribi, and CF Deruta 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

Copper sheen — The Vignoli sisters use a particular combination of glazes and firing to draw a luminous copper finish out of the surface. Because the result depends on the firing, every piece comes out as unique as a fingerprint.

Vignoli, Faenza (Emilia-Romagna) — Saura and Ivana Vignoli are Biordi's most artistic pair of ceramicists. Their geometric patterns and fish designs, paired with the copper finish, give a modern Italian aesthetic that sits apart from traditional majolica. The Vignoli pattern is part of Biordi's Faenza collection — a town where ceramics formed an economic backbone of the region for five centuries.