Picture this: Veneto, Italy 1952...a young very talented ceramicist grows weary of shaping lemons and pomegranates into topiary shapes...going out on a limb he decides to make a monument to the the mighty avocado! The rest is, as they say, history. Available is a stunning example of fine Italian ceramics in the form of a large gracious fruit basket centerpiece overflowing with eight perfectly formed and perpetually ripe avocados. To show off he decides to half two of the beauties to reveal the rich brown pits and the perfectly ripe flesh. This lovely centerpiece depicts the avocados resting on a bed of grass or filler. It is approximately 12" in diameter, 10" high, and weighs a whopping 10lbs 3oz without packaging. The base of the item is hand signed "Made Italy" along with some numbers. There is also a faint imposed logo that is the form of a pitcher with *** over a coronet. The inner recesses of the interwebs suggests that this may be attributable to Ebeling & Reuss in collaboration with the skilled artisans of the Bassano area. This item likely dates from between the 1950s to the 1980s. There are a few spots with glaze loss but the overall condition of this lovely items is excellent.