Handpainted Planter with Fruit on Blue

In Italian we call it a cachepot — a decorative pot you slip over a plain planter to dress it up. Our artisans in Vietri sul Mare make each one by hand, and this particular piece has a deep cobalt blue background that really makes the painted fruit pop. You'll see bunches of yellow-green grapes, lemons, a split pomegranate showing its red seeds, and plenty of green leaves wrapping around the belly of the pot.

Along the rim there's a green crosshatch border with small dark dots, which is a detail you find in traditional Vietri work. The base picks up the same green and blue tones. The whole piece has a rich, glossy finish from the final kiln firing.

At 20 cm it's a good size for a medium houseplant, fresh herbs on a windowsill, or a small arrangement. Some customers use them as table centrepieces filled with dried flowers or just on their own as decoration. The ceramic is thick and solid — it has real weight to it.

Because everything is painted freehand, no two cachepots come out identical. Small variations in the colour or the shape of the fruit are normal and part of what gives each piece its character.