Baroque Ceramic Umbrella Stand

In Italian we call it portaombrelli. Margherita is a large ceramic umbrella stand — about 55 cm tall — shaped like a traditional amphora with two small handles on the sides and a wide flared opening at the top. Our artisans in Vietri sul Mare form the whole piece by hand and paint it freehand with a daisy-and-scroll pattern in green, yellow, and white.

The upper portion has a broad decorative band of teal green scrollwork with golden-yellow arabesques and white daisy-like flowers (margherita means daisy in Italian — that is where the name comes from). The same pattern repeats around the neck. The lower body is left mostly white with teal and yellow horizontal bands near the base, and the foot is finished in a warm golden tone. The two handles on the sides are glazed in a brown that resembles wood.

Most people place Margherita by the front door, in a hallway, or in an entryway. It is heavy and stable enough to hold several umbrellas without tipping over. But we have also seen customers use it as a floor vase for tall branches or dried grasses, or even as a decorative piece on a covered patio.

Margherita belongs to our Barocco Collection. Like every piece in the series, she is made in small batches by artisans who have been working with ceramics for decades. Small differences in the brushwork and glaze are part of the character of each piece.