Bertoncello Ceramiche, Screziato Tabacco Glaze, Abstract Sculptural Sea Urchin Vase, 1960s-70s

This beautifully elegant work of mid-century Modernist stoneware was designed by Aldo Londi (b. 1911 - d. 2003) for Bitossi Ceramiche. Inspiration for the glaze is said to be taken from the Adriatic Sea, off the coast of Rimini in Italy, and hence the series name Rimini Blu.

The glaze and the series that subsequently grew from it, has become iconic and the most highly collectable of Aldo Londis' work. The form of this particular piece has been crafted with superb almost-sentience and character, the stance captured is one of mid-feint and with curiosity.

Accentuating the work is the geometric and highly tactile 'Sgraffito' decor, with shapes and lines being embossed into the clay during the crafting process. The glaze displays strokes of green, Persiano and deep blue, the great blend of glossy smooth glaze is interspersed with coarse grit in the clay.

CONDITION
Excellent, no chips, cracks or repairs. There is natural wear that is commensurable with age, please refer to photos as they form part of the condition report. The underside of the sculpture is marked with the model number '42120/628' and 'ITALY'. 

MEASUREMENTS
c. 6.5" / 16.5 cm tall (arch of back to base) x c. 12.8" / 32.5 cm long (horns to tail) x c. 6" / 15.2 cm wide (across widest point of front hooves). Unpackaged weight: c. 2 kg / 2,115 g

NOTES
Sculpture will be securely packaged and shipping will be insured. Shipping will be combined for multiple items.

A BIT OF HISTORY
After World War II, master ceramist Aldo Londi (b. 1911 - d. 2003) became the creative director of Bitossi Ceramiche, a position he held for more than 50 years. Londi apprenticed in ceramics at the young age of 11 and brought deep expertise in traditional ceramics production to Bitossi.

He’s best known for his 1950s-era collection, this Rimini Blu. This iconic mid-century modern series contains over 150 designs, including bowls, vases, jugs and animal figurines, all glazed in a vibrant blue hue and embossed with abstract motifs and shapes.

Londi created the first piece glazed in Persiano Blue, the Ball Vase in 1955. Shortly after 1959, he began to create more pieces in this proprietary glaze. The collection holds historical importance because it helped to bring handcrafted and expressive works into the modernist design conversation in Italy.

Though blue was not the only colour Bitossi favoured, it has become closely associated with the brand’s identity. The collection is still in production today and widely collected by ceramics enthusiasts.

This stunning work of handblown work of Murano art glass design is by Vincenzo Nason's art glass studio V. Nason & Co. This piece brings with it beauty created by the exquisite execution of the Sfumato art glass technique.

Sfumato in art glass is curiously named as in the world of painting, Sfumato translates as 'soft, vague and blurred', blending the edges between colours so that there is a soft transition.

In art glass, and particularly in this piece, the edges are anything but vague. The core colour of this sculpture is a rich, deep Jet black and overlaid onto the core is a series of gradually rounding and overlapping White scales. Where each white scale is teased across the black, it is semi-translucent and creates the Grey tone. Each scale ends in a White tip and edged in a flourishing of minute bubbles. The end result is a spectacular presentation of the Sfumato technique that is finished with a clear glass Sommerso casing and the careful shaping of the fish body.

CONDITION
Excellent. No chips, cracks or repairs. There is very light use wear on the underside of the sculpture that is commensurable with the age of the piece. Please refer to photos as they form part of the condition report. The sculpture is labelled with V.Nason's factory label.

MEASUREMENTS
Height: c. 4.7" / 12 cm (base to tail) x c. 6.5" / 16.5 cm length (across widest point) x depth: c. 1.7" / 4.3 cm. Base: c. 1.3" / 3.2 cm x c. 2" / 5cm. Unpackaged weight: c. 0.5 kg / 450 g.

NOTES
Sculpture will be securely packaged and shipping will be insured. Shipping will be combined for multiple items.

A BIT OF HISTORY
V Nason & co was first established bu Vincenzo Nason as "Vincenzo Nason & Cie" (VNC) on the island of Murano, Venice, Italy in 1967. Nason previously worked at Venini for a number of years, mastering his skills in Murano art glass. The name was changed to V. Nason & Co towards the late 80s. The company is believed to have closed sometime around 2001.

V Nason & Co are known for their 'Avventurina' range, black glass filled with copper Aventurine inclusions as well as their creations of sculptures of animals and opaline glass.

A wonderfully Modernist piece of sculpted Italian stoneware with design inspiration taken from the Adriatic sea, off the coast of Rimini in Italy and hence the series name Rimini.

The glaze and the series which subsequently grew from it has become iconic and most highly collectable in Aldo Londis' work. The tones of Old Gold, Goldenrod and Espresso Brown in gloss glaze of this piece are a rarer variation to the more commonly found blues and greens in the Rimini Blu version of the series.

The geometric decor is very tactile, with shapes and lines etched into the clay during the crafting process. The glaze displays strokes of colour blended together finished with a glossy smooth glaze that is interspersed with coarse grit in the clay.

This piece additionally features Kintsugi golden seams following careful repairing and highlighting. The Kintsugi technique is modern and has been applied in a tactile manner, a gentle compliment to the tones of gold and brown in the glaze. 

CONDITION
Excellent. This piece has been carefully repaired using a robust water-resistant and durable resin.  There is natural wear that is most prominent on the undersides of the hooves and some gentle crazing is also present in the glaze which is commensurable with the age of the piece. Please refer to photos as they form part of the condition report. The underside of the belly is also marked with the model number of '45145/626' and 'ITALY' and an additional written inscription of 1965 on one hoof.  

MEASUREMENTS
Height: c. 5.9" / 15 cm (ears to base) x c. 6.1" / 15.5 cm length (tail to nose). Width: c. 3.6 / 9.1 cm. Unpackaged weight: c. 0.8 kg / 790 g

NOTES
Sculpture will be securely packaged and shipping will be insured. Shipping will be combined for multiple items.

A BIT OF HISTORY
Bitossi Ceramiche - Aldo Londi After World War II, master ceramist Aldo Londi (1911-2003) became the creative director of Bitossi Ceramiche, a position he held for more than 50 years. Londi apprenticed in ceramics at the young age of 11 and brought a deep expertise in traditional ceramics production to Bitossi.

He’s best known for his 1950s-era collection, the Rimini series (1955-1965). This iconic mid-century modern series contains over 150 designs, including bowls, vases, jugs and animal figurines, all glazed in a vibrant blue hue and embossed with abstract motifs and shapes.

Londi created the first piece glazed in Persiano Blue, the Ball Vase, in 1955. Shortly after in 1959, he began to create more pieces in the proprietary glaze. The collection holds historical importance because it helped to bring handcrafted and expressive works into the modernist design conversation in Italy.

Kintsugi is a Japanese philosophy with similarities to the philosophy of Wabi-Sabi, which includes ideas surrounding the embracing of the flawed or imperfect. The art of Kintsugi ("golden joinery") is the repairing of broken pottery with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. The aesthetics of this philosophy values breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise. 

Presenting a sculpted work of Italian Mid Century Modern, Modernist design by the Bertoncello pottery that was sadly closed in 1999. 

The sumptuous glaze of this piece is smooth to touch and not too overtly glossy. Visually, it presents as a refined blending of rich, pale vanilla that is feathered with deep sienna, giving additional depth. Step back and look at the piece as a whole, the effect resembles leather or marbled stone.

The gently exaggerated curves in the 'bulb' and handle of the form adds to the sculpted look, as well as aesthetic balance.

A BIT OF HISTORY
Bertoncello Ceramiche was founded in Schiavon, Italy around 1956. For many years it was run solely by a Mr. Lini and Giovanni Bertoncello (1930-2011), but by the 1970s had a staff of around 30. Giovanni was the creative force behind the forms and glazes, supported later by a Mr. Boatto – a Venetian teacher.

Sadly not a lot is known about the company because all its catalogues and archives were destroyed when the company closed in 1999. The forms of Bertoncello pottery are often very sculptural, modern and organic and some look like smaller studies or maquettes for massive modernist sculptures that are yet to be built. This sculptural appearance of many pieces was enhanced by the use of feet which subtly raise the piece off the surface on which it sits.

CONDITION

Excellent, no chips, cracks or scratches to the body. There is imperceptible use wear ( mainly in light movement marks on the underside of the vase's base) - please refer to photos as part of the condition report.

MEASUREMENTS
c. 7.3" / 18.5 cm tall by c. 4.7" / 12 cm wide (across body's widest point). Base diameter: c. 2.4" / 6 cm

Unpackaged weight: c. 0.4 kg / 352 g

NOTES
Vase will be securely packaged and shipping will be insured.
Shipping will be combined for multiple items.

Presenting a superb work of Italian art glass in sculpted Modernist design. The form of this piece is elegantly simple in design, with the softly ridged curves providing an excellent canvas for the refraction of light. Placed in the path of sunlight, this piece will have coloured refraction's dancing on the walls. 

The glass primarily used is Neodymium, a rare chemical element that is incorporated into the glass during the crafting process. Neodymium is sometimes known as Alexandrite, which changes colour from lilac under incandescent light or daylight and blue under fluorescent, household lights. 

Cased within the centre of this piece is a rich core of deep, raspberry pink, diffusing seamlessly using the Sommerso technique.  

A BIT OF HISTORY

Sommerso is one of the most commonly known Murano techniques, which in Italian literally means “submerged”. This technique is used to create several layers of glass (usually with different contrasting colors) inside a single object, giving the illusion of “immersed” colours without mixing. The different layers of glass is put through heat, repeatedly immersing them in pots of molten coloured glass. This technique is easily recognisable; characterised by an outer layer of colourless glass and thick layers of coloured glass inside it. The effect is as if a big drop of colour had been captured inside the clear glass.

CONDITION

Excellent. There are no chips or cracks, there is evidence of mild use / age wear (predominantly in the form of movement marks on the base - please refer to photos as part of condition report. 

MEASUREMENTS

c. 2.6" / 6.5 cm tall (from base to rim) x c. 6.7" / 18 cm in diameter (across body's widest point).

Unpackaged weight:  c.2.1 kg / 2,132 g

NOTES

Dish will be securely packaged and shipping will be insured. Shipping will be combined for multiple items.

This striking and vivid work of handblown, Italian mid-century art glass design brings with it the beauty created by expert Murano art glass techniques. 

The form is that of a stylised, unfurling splash, expertly hot-worked into the elegantly dramatic form with vibrantly flourishing and poised tips. The base colour is the iconic and rich Murano Scarlet red, classic to the mid-century period which cascades into the companion Candy red and Amber and encasing petals of Midnight blue. The encasing of colour within colour is the well-known technique name Sommerso. One of the most commonly known Murano techniques characterised by an outer layer of glass with the effect of definitively capturing colour. 

The form of this piece is distinctive as not are the petals of Midnight blue captured with the Sommerso technique but the overall form was also 'pulled' when the glass was molten to create the ridged and highly tactile effect. The compound effect from the different techniques has created a superb canvas for the refraction of light. 

The iconic colour palette, form and majestic size make this piece excellent for a standalone display. 

CONDITION
Excellent. No chips, cracks or repair. There is negligible surface wear and movement marks on the underside of the base that is commensurable with the age of the piece - please see photos as they form part of the condition report. 

MEASUREMENTS
Height: c.7.5" / 19 cm tall (from base to tip) x c.19.7" / 50 cm in length (across longest point). Width: c. 9" / 23 cm. Base measurements: c. 4.1" / 10.5 cm x 3.7" / 9.5 cm. Unpackaged weight: c. 2.6 kg / 2,640 g

A BIT OF HISTORY
The Sommerso [Literal translation 'submerged'] technique was brought to fame by Archimede Seguso c.1950s, prior to his exploration into the Bullicante technique. The technique is used to create layers of glass - often several layers and usually with different contrasting colours - inside a single object, giving the illusion of “immersed” colours without mixing. The different layers of glass are put through heat, repeatedly immersing them in pots of molten coloured glass before being encased in an outer layer of colourless glass.