Month: October 2012

Zell Schmider vase no. 3589, form and decor by Anneliese Beckh, West Germany circa 1956

This small but perfectly formed Zell Schmider vase may mark a turning point in my collecting.  With its beautiful abstract Cubist /Picasso / Corbusier inspired decor, very much in the Mid-century Modern style, interlocking circles with blocks of primary colour on a simple elegant form.

It encapsulates and references the modern design ethos of the era all in just 10cm !  Unlike the later larger ‘Fat Lava’ floor vases (of which I have quite a few) this could happily sit on a bookshelf or mantelpiece, a subtle nod to great 1950’s design.  This will inspire me to seek out other similar pieces that display classic style on a miniature scale.

Cenedese, Murano Sommerso organic glass vase in red and yellow, designed by Antonio Da Ros, Venice, Italy circa 1960’s

This Cenedese single stem vase, encapsulates everything great about Murano art glass.  The beautiful organic shape with its contrasting sharp angled rim marks a clear break from tradition, embracing the space age futuristic styles of the 1960s.  The handmade blown glass is skillfully and amazingly layered using the Sommerso (submerged) technique, creating encased coloured capsules that need no other adornment.  It catches and refracts the light beautifully and becomes a sculptural piece of art in its own right.

San Marino rock glaze and sgraffito vase and Fratelli Fanciullacci textured striped jug, Italy circa 1960’s

These two pieces illustrate how Italian potteries were leading the way with innovative mid-century modern ceramic design.  From the San Marino’s trademark foamy white smalto roccia (rock glaze) that predated West German ‘Fat Lava’ styles, combined here with a highly stylised fashionable sgraffito image, evoking the 1960’s Italian glamour sought out by the new influx of foreign tourists.  The Fratelli Fanciullacci jug with its heavily textured glaze and hand painted stripes is inspired by the resurgence in studio pottery in Italy at the time, and was important in the revival of craft and the growth of ‘Made in Italy’ after the war.