Decorative plate by De Simone, hand-painted Sicilian ceramic, Ø 26.

All the sun of Sicily on a plate. Under a bright sun, two pickers are harvesting citrus fruits. The man reaches out to an orange tree laden with fruit, while the woman fills a woven basket overflowing with oranges. Here we find the signature style of the DeSimone workshop: profile faces in the manner of Picasso, bold brown outlines, and thick, textured glazes in coral red, tangerine, cobalt blue, and turquoise. Founded in Palermo by Giovanni De Simone (1930–1991), a Sicilian aristocrat trained in ceramics in Faenza, the workshop made scenes of Sicilian daily life one of the most recognizable motifs of mid-20th century Italian ceramics: fishermen, grape harvests, musicians. Details: Signed "DESIMONE" on the front. Hand-painted mark on the back: "DESIMONE ITALY 001" Glazed earthenware, unglazed terracotta base.