Large Floor Vase in Ceramic with Black and Orange Sgraffito Decor, in the Style of Aldo Londi for Bitossi. 1960s

The conical body, gently flaring from the base to the wide shoulder, ends in a small cylindrical neck with a black lip. The decor proceeds by sgraffito: on the bright orange slip, wide black vertical bands with deliberate drips alternate with registers of engraved geometric motifs — chevrons, lattices, primitive signs — revealing the clay beneath the glaze, in an almost archaic graphic spirit.

This orange and black palette and this incised vocabulary stylistically link the piece to the productions of Italian ceramics of the 1960s, in the spirit of Aldo Londi, artistic director of Bitossi at Montelupo Fiorentino, whose series with engraved decors and contrasting glazes marked post-war ceramic design.

Condition report: Good overall condition. Sound and vibrant glazes, small firing irregularities inherent to artisanal manufacture. A graphic and warm floor vase, superb at the foot of a bookcase, in an entrance hall or near a fireplace.