Matteo D'Agostino - Ernestine Virden Cannon - Table service for 12 (25) - Earthenware - Soup service set, 25 pieces

Ernestine faience soup set with bamboo-style handles, consisting of 12 saucers, 12 bowls, a bamboo-patterned tureen with a lid. It consists of 25 pieces. The rest of the set is also available on Catawiki: the coffee service and the dinner service with soup plates and deep plates, as well as another tureen. Oil and vinegar cruets, salt and pepper shakers—have a look on the website. Thank you!!

It all began during the Second World War. Ernestine Virden Cannon, a wealthy American decorator and designer (great-niece of the famous magnate J.P. Morgan), settled on the Amalfi Coast. In Ravello, she met Matteo D'Agostino, a young Italian architect from a historic family of ceramic producers in Salerno!
2. The founding and innovation (1948)

In 1948, they officially founded the “Ernestine” factory near Salerno (in Brignano de Fratte). The duo divided the roles perfectly:
• Matteo D'Agostino designed original, refined, geometric shapes that broke with heavy traditional ceramics.
• Ernestine Cannon (artistic director) created very modern hand-painted patterns inspired by nature, the sea, and Japanese calligraphy, applied using a unique watercolor technique.
To perfect their creations, they hired a renowned German chemical engineer, Horst Simonis, in the early 1950s. Thanks to him, the factory developed high-quality clays and highly glossy, lead-free glazes—a technical feat that was essential to winning over the global market.