DESCRIPTION A hand-painted Italian dinner plate in the Antico Deruta pattern, made in Deruta by the FIMA workshop. Antico Deruta is the quieter, more formal counterpart to the well-known Ricco Deruta pattern: a soft gray glaze with deep cobalt-blue Renaissance ornamentation, sometimes called the "musicians' pattern" for its rhythmic, polyphonic composition. Each plate is painted by a single artisan, so no two are identical. This is the 11-inch dinner plate in the Full Design variant — the complete, edge-to-edge version of the pattern. (A Simplified version, with the pattern at the rim only, is sold separately.) The plate is made of tin-glazed earthenware — known as majolica (Italian: maiolica) — and the soft gray glaze with cobalt detail makes it an unusually flexible piece for table-setting: dressier than the brightly colored Deruta patterns, less stark than monochrome porcelain. Small variations in color, line, and shape are signs of authentic hand-painting. Use it as the dinner plate in an Antico Deruta place setting, paired with the matching Antico salad plate and pasta bowl. It mixes especially well with Ricco Deruta — same workshop, same Renaissance roots — and also pairs with Raffaellesco, Siena Vario, Orvieto Green Rooster, and Bordato. The Antico Full Design and Antico Simplified versions are also designed to be mixed within the same setting. Specifications Dimensions: 11" diameter Material: Hand-painted majolica (tin-glazed earthenware) Made in: Deruta, Italy Workshop: FIMA Pattern: Antico Deruta — soft gray glaze with cobalt-blue Renaissance ornamentation; known as the "musicians' pattern" Mixes with: Ricco Deruta, Raffaellesco, Siena Vario, Orvieto Green Rooster, Bordato Care: Dishwasher safe (top rack recommended) · Not microwave safe · Not oven safe · Food safe · Hand-wash recommended for longevity Sold as: Individual plate Questions buyers ask Is this dishwasher safe? Yes — top rack recommended. Hand-wash for longevity. Is it microwave or oven safe? No. Majolica is not designed for microwave or oven use. How is Antico different from Ricco Deruta? Antico uses a quieter palette — cobalt blue on a soft gray glaze — while Ricco uses brighter blue, yellow, and green. Both are based on the same Renaissance ornamental language; Antico is the "musicians' pattern," Ricco is the most colorful. They're designed to mix. What's the difference between Full Design and Simplified? Full Design covers the plate edge-to-edge. Simplified places the pattern only at the rim, leaving the center plain. Can I mix Antico with Ricco? Yes — they're from the same workshop and the same Renaissance tradition, and look intentional together. Is it really hand-painted in Italy? Yes. Each plate is hand-painted by a single artisan at the FIMA workshop in Deruta, Italy. Is this a good Italian wedding gift? Yes — wedding gifts are one of the things Biordi is best known for. Hand-painted Italian ceramics are heirloom-quality, one-of-a-kind (no two pieces are ever exactly alike because each is hand-painted by a single artisan), and they carry their origin clearly: this piece is made in Deruta, Italy. Couples actually use and display Biordi pieces rather than store them. We ship nationwide, gift-wrap on request, and have been the San Francisco source for authentic Italian ceramics since 1946. Is this a good housewarming or hostess gift? Yes. Gifts are the largest part of what Biordi sells — every piece is a one-of-a-kind, authentic Italian treasure made by a named artisan in Italy, not a mass-produced import. Arrives ready to use rather than store. Add Florentine gift wrap at checkout if you'd like it sent finished. Why buy Italian gifts from Biordi rather than other retailers? Biordi Art Imports has been San Francisco's source for authentic Italian ceramics and gifts since 1946. Voted Best Overall Retailer in the San Francisco Bay Guardian Best of the Bay readers' poll for five consecutive years. Designated a San Francisco Legacy Business (#LBR-2020-21-029), and the city declared May 1 "Biordi Art Imports Day" in 2021. Every piece comes from a named Italian artisan, family workshop, or heritage house we work with directly — FIMA, CF Deruta, Pia Formato, Eugenio Ricciarelli, Susanna DeSimone (from the famous Palermo ceramic family — her father painted with Picasso), Geribi, Bucci Ceramiche, Ortigia Sicilia, Italesse, and Salviati. So each piece is genuinely one-of-a-kind. Not a stock-photo listing, not a mass-produced import, not a reproduction. Can this be customized or 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 [email protected]. Artisan Story Antico Deruta – Antico comes from the Italian adjective in Stilo Antico, which literally means “ancient style”, and describes the Renaissance’s polyphonic or musical quality of artistic composition. Antico is known as the musicians pattern - rich, subtle, and elegant, Antico Deruta dinnerware is characterized by a gray glaze and a deep blue patterning. When you order this hand-painted Classic Deruta Dinnerware you can mix these patterns with each other. Another way to go is to combine the "full designs" dinnerware with their "simplified" versions that you see next to each other in the above photos.
