La Musa Giovanni DeSimone Christmas Tree Plate

Italian pottery wall plate hand painted by Giovanni DeSimone for La Musa.  Plate was made exclusively for Sax Fifth Avenue Features two holes on the back for hanging.

In very good condition.

Measures 13″ diameter.

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Art & Beautiful Things

This decorative plate Giovanni DeSimone for La Musa, and more specifically for Sax Fifth Avenue,  DeSimone was as Italian artist known for mid-20th-century ceramics. The plate features a festive Christmas tree motif and is intended for wall display but certainly could be used for tableware.

La Musa is recognized for collaborating with Italian designers and artists to produce limited-edition decorative ceramics in the 1950s–1970s. Giovanni DeSimone’s work is characterized by vibrant colors, stylized motifs, and high-quality ceramic craftsmanship. The plate is hand-painted and glazed, reflecting both artistic skill and durability.

Collectors of mid-century Italian ceramics prize pieces like this for their aesthetic appeal, limited production, and the artist’s signature design style. The Christmas tree theme is iconic of Italian holiday decor of the period and represents both cultural tradition and decorative artistry.

This piece is in very good condition, suitable for display in collections of vintage Italian ceramics or holiday-themed decorative art. Its provenance and quality make it a desirable collectible for enthusiasts of mid-century design and Italian craftsmanship.

Giovanni DeSimone

Giovanni DeSimone was a mid-century ceramicist whose lively designs seem primed to elicit smiles. He created colorful vessels, platters and wall art, decorated with festive figures, flowers and fauna in a style that reveals an appreciation for Cubism and folk art.

DeSimone was born in Palermo, Sicily, in 1930. His parents were aristocrats, and as a young child, he traveled to Somalia. It was here that he grew fond of African artistic traditions. After World War II, DeSimone moved to the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. He attended the Istituto d’Arte per la Ceramica and discovered a passion for pottery. Upon graduation, DeSimone moved back to Palermo and fell in love with Eliana, who became his wife. The couple had three daughters together.

DeSimone opened his famous ceramics studio in the 1960s, producing dinnerware, serveware and decorative tiles. As the studio grew in success and popularity, DeSimone hired more artists to help with the work. In its heyday, the studio had as many as six ceramicists producing work. While each creator had a unique style, DeSimone set a standard for the colors and themes to be used.

DeSimone died in 1991, passing his workshop down to his daughters Margherita and Susanna. Today, the company still operates in Palermo under the name La Fabbrica della Ceramica, producing ceramic pieces inspired by DeSimone’s original designs.

La Musa DiSimone Christmas Plate