Fruit Tea Cup and Saucer

In Italian we call this a tazza da te — a tea cup. Our artisans in Vietri sul Mare shape the cup and saucer on the wheel, then paint every fruit, leaf, and border line by hand. No stencils, no decals.

The cup has a white body decorated with a ring of colourful fruit: yellow lemons, deep red figs or pomegranates, and green leaves, all framed by an ochre-brown border line at the top and thin stripes near the base. The handle and rim are glazed in a soft aqua-teal. The saucer carries the same fruit motif — lemons, blue grapes, figs, and leaves — circling the plate with a teal border along the edge. The colours are warm and natural, with that slightly loose feel that comes from painting on a curved surface.

The cup is sized for tea: wider than a coffee cup, with a generous mouth that lets the drink cool at a comfortable pace. It sits neatly in its saucer, and the handle is easy to hold.

Each set is painted individually, so the position of every lemon and every grape cluster will be a little different from piece to piece. We consider that a good thing.