As a collector for over 40 years, I have never come across another one of these plates. I do have a postcard of the same design though! An incredibly rare, highly collectible piece of Spanish modern design history: an official, vintage 1990 commemorative souvenir plate from the legendary Restaurante La Era in Yaiza, Lanzarote.
This piece features the iconic, minimalist line artwork of the visionary architect, environmentalist, and painter César Manrique.
The Historical Background: La Era, Yaiza
In 1966, César Manrique—alongside his close friend, artistic collaborator, and developer Luis Ibáñez—embarked on a passionate project to restore a historic, 18th-century farmhouse estate in Yaiza. This estate was one of the rare structures to survive the island's cataclysmic volcanic eruptions of the 1730s.
In 1968, they officially opened Restaurante La Era, a venue specifically designed to celebrate, preserve, and showcase traditional Canarian architecture, food, and culture. Manrique custom-designed the restaurant's entire visual identity, creating a stylized, stark line-art sketch of the building's distinctive white facade, framed by Lanzarote’s signature palm trees, a blazing sun/moon motif, and a native agave succulent.
The Talavera de la Reina Connection
Because Lanzarote and the broader Canary Islands lacked the heavy industrial kilns required to fire durable, uniform, high-quality majolica dinnerware, the restaurant's management looked to the mainland for production.
They commissioned a certified workshop in Talavera de la Reina—a historic city globally protected as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage for its tin-glazed pottery. Master painters in Talavera meticulously hand-traced Manrique’s graphic design template onto the milky-white glaze and his distinctive signature on the front.
The underside of the plate features the classic, hand-painted intertwined "TA" monogram (with the 'A' cleanly nested beneath the crossbar of the 'T'), certifying its authentic origin in Talavera, Spain.
The left side of the artwork features the prominent commemorative dates "1970–1990". Rather than a mass-produced tourist knick-knack, this plate was part of a limited production run ordered in 1990 to celebrate the 20th-anniversary milestone of the restaurant's mid-century .
Artist (Design): César Manrique (Assisted by Luis Ibáñez)
Manufacturing Center: Talavera de la Reina, Spain (Marked "TA Talavera Spain")
Year of Production: 1990
Medium: Hand-painted, tin-glazed majolica ceramic
Motif: Traditional Canarian Architecture, Agave Plant, Palm Trees, Sun/Moon
Condition: Perfect vintage condition. There are no chips, cracks, repairs, or structural crazing. The glaze remains bright, clean, and glossy, preserving the contrast of the original line work. It features a secure hanging wire attached through the back foot rim for immediate wall display.
Dimensions: 28 cm in diameter
Whether you are a collector of mid-century Spanish modernism, an admirer of César Manrique's transformative work on Lanzarote, or a connoisseur of unique vintage restaurant ephemera, this crossover piece is incredibly difficult to find outside of localized Spanish antique auctions. It is a fantastic conversation piece and a stunning addition to any curation of 20th-century design.
Please see my other beautiful and rare Manrique ceramics under the “ceramics” section above.
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Any questions, please ask, I may consider reasonable offers if you wish to buy more than one item.
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