Francesco Del Re Italian Terracotta Fluted Bowl Planter, Ciotola Scanalata, 31.5 Inch, Weathered Patina

A substantial Italian terracotta low bowl planter by Francesco Del Re — the celebrated Tuscan ceramic artisan whose hand-thrown and hand-finished terracotta vessels have made him one of the most recognized contemporary Italian ceramic makers exporting to the international market — in his classic "Ciotola Scanalata" form. The deeply fluted, ribbed-side bowl design is one of Del Re's signature forms and a fixture of high-end Italian villa gardens carried into serious American landscape installations through his US importer.

About Francesco Del Re. Working from his Tuscan studio, Francesco Del Re produces handmade terracotta planters, jardinières, and garden vessels using his proprietary Terraforte clay — a mineral-rich Tuscan clay he developed and trademarked, notoriously difficult to throw because of its mineral density but producing exceptionally tough, weather-resistant pots that hold up to outdoor exposure across decades. His work is the modern continuation of the great Tuscan terracotta tradition (Impruneta and surrounding villages outside Florence), exported worldwide and carried in the United States by the Eye of the Day Garden Design Center in Carpinteria, California — the principal US importer of high-end Italian terracotta to landscape architects and designers. His pieces are specified into estate gardens, hotel installations, and serious residential landscapes throughout the country.

The piece. A 31.5-inch diameter Ciotola Scanalata bowl in mature weathered condition — chalky mineral bloom, lichen-soft surface encrustation, oxidation staining in deep umber and charcoal, and the soft warm-pink terracotta ground reading through where the surface has worn back from years of weathering. This is the kind of patina that develops only through real exposure across many seasons; reproductions cannot fake it. The piece reads as a serious garden antique rather than a recent factory piece, and is well past the point of being mistaken for new-production Del Re — it has the depth that decades outdoors confer.

Use. Pieces in this form have always been the workhorses of European villa gardens — used for citrus trees, olive trees, hydrangeas, agapanthus, or statement seasonal plantings — and they only improve with age. The deep ribbing casts wonderful raking shadows in afternoon light, and the broad low form anchors a courtyard, terrace, garden bed, or the entry to a Mediterranean-style home without feeling fussy. Works beautifully on a stone terrace, flanking a doorway, against a clipped boxwood hedge, set into a gravel courtyard, or as a sculptural object even unplanted. Pairs naturally with weathered limestone, sun-bleached ipe, lead urns, gravel, and the loose informality of a Mediterranean or Italianate garden.

We have two coordinating Francesco Del Re pieces available from the same source — see our other listings for the Ciotola Baccellata (lobed form, 22") and the Caspò Basso (low cachepot, 19") in matching weathered patina.

Drainage hole present — confirm condition of base before listing weight-bearing capacity for very large specimen plantings.

Dimensions: 31.5" Diameter × 19.25" H

This item ships via private carrier. Properly crated and fully insured for transit. Please allow several weeks for delivery. Expedited shipping available for an additional fee.

See photos for condition and additional dimensions. Reach out directly with any specific questions, and we'll do our best to reply within 24 hours. Please check out our other listings for amazing estate items.

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