Ernestine Ceramic Lamp

During the Second World War, a small miracle occurred in the world of design: American decorator and designer Ernestine Virden Kannon met the young architect Matteo D’Agostino in Ravello. There was an immediate personal connection and creative synergy between them. In 1948, they founded the ceramic manufacture “Ernestine,” based in Vietri.

Design and form are the defining features of the two protagonists: Ernestine, with her watercolor technique, brought to life a series of boldly modern decorative motifs influenced by Japanese calligraphy; Matteo, heir to a family of ceramic producers from Salerno, created innovative forms and unconventional interior projects. Together, they renewed the ceramic tradition of Vietri and conquered international markets—particularly the American one—becoming, as early as the 1950s, one of the leading manufacturers in Italian industrial design. These were years of brilliance and glamour, with clients including royal families and figures such as Jacqueline Kennedy.

The young German ceramic engineer Horst Simonis soon joined the duo, thanks to whom the factory became a true center for research and experimentation in color and lead-free glazes.