FrancisFrancis! 9-Piece Porcelain Dinnerware Set - Elegant Mint Green Tableware for Formal Dining & Special Occasions

Amazon.com A buoyant philosophy elevates FrancisFrancis! dinnerware above the commonplace. "Love and treat the child within you." That's what Italian designer Francesco has in mind when he invites artists to collaborate in creating place settings. Francesco wishes to amuse and delight, to create a mood that excites appetite and provokes conversation. He starts with a colorful tin packing case (13-1/2 inches in diameter by 9 inches high for this set) that, among other suggested uses, can be employed as a stool (black cotton, foam-filled pillow included). A photograph on the lid shows a young girl sticking out her tongue. ("FrancisFrancis!" cries the despairing parent.) An impish phrase, Poi ti spiego ("I'll explain later"), is printed on the case, along with the story behind it. Inside is durable, finely glazed, gleaming porcelain dinnerware--that amuses and delights. This limited-edition set, signed by the artist, is a single place setting for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and is called "Dances." However, Marco Lodola, who created the colorful drawings that appear against the dinnerware's mint-green background, clearly interprets the idea to mean "movement," as can be seen by the set's contents: 12-inch service plate showing couples dancing the fox trot; 10-5/8-inch dinner plate showing male and female bodybuilders flexing; 8-7/8-inch rimmed pasta bowl showing stripteaser (completely) disrobing; 8-1/2-inch dessert plate showing couples dancing; 8-1/8-inch soup bowl showing couple dancing the flamenco; coffee cup (with saucer) showing Carnival in Rio dancer; and demitasse/espresso cup (with saucer) showing bikini-clad women. These mint "Dances" pieces can be mixed and matched with other "Dances" colors: vanilla, peach, and white. The artwork is virtually indestructible, and the dinnerware is dishwasher-safe. --Fred Brack