Italian Pottery Jug by Giovanni DE SIMONE

Giovanni de Simone (1930 - 1991) created wonderful ceramics like this charming jug in his studio founded in the 1960's in Palermo, Italy. Made of reddish tan clay, it's coated with white slip and hand painted in bold colors of red, blue, yellow, lavender and orange, with trim of speckled brown. One side features a mustachioed cubist gentleman wearing a large hat and smoking a cigar. On the other side is a very abstract female lobster with black roe in her belly. Although de Simone's designs have been compared to Picasso's art, they are inimitable and instantly recognizable.

The jug measures 11 inches tall, with a base 5 inches in diameter and it weighs 2 3/4 pounds. It's in excellent condition, with one small chunk out of the bottom edge that is partially glazed over (it can be seen on the right edge in photo number 7). The white spot on the rim of the mouth is a small blob of glaze. There are no cracks, chips or other concerns to mention. The bottom is signed, printed in black ink "DESIMONE ITALY 65." It's a wonderful find for the MCM design fan. 

>>>There is a company in Palermo called Ceramiche de Simone which currently makes copies in white clay of many of Giovanni's items. The differences between the genuine and the replica are obvious. One of his daughters, Susanna, continues his tradition in her studio, "Fabbrica della Ceramica,” but her ceramics are signed "S. De Simone."