Aldo Londi (Italian, 1911-2003) for Bitossi, Rimini Blu Owl and Tall Vase

Italy, circa 1960, retailed by Rosenthal Netter in the U.S., to include a tall bulbous neck vase with paisley sgraffito pattern to body (12 3/8 x 6 in.); and an owl figurine with incised features and geometric patterning to eyes and wings as well as stamped dots wrapping the whole, with period label "CREATED IN ITALY FOR / Rosenthal Netter / INC" to underside (12 1/4 x 5 1/4 in.).

Born in 1911 in Montelupo Fiorentino, Aldo Londi lived a life devoted to art: he was a painter and sculptor, but above all, a ceramicist. For over fifty years, he collaborated with Bitossi, first as artistic director and later as a contributor.

His expertise in ceramics and artistic sensitivity were his defining traits. Combined with a natural inclination for exploration, they allowed him to undertake bold experiments and shape a new expressive language.

The iconic Rimini Blu series, produced continuously since 1959, is distinguished by the texture of its surface. The decoration, made up of marks that create a whimsical dance of abstract-geometric elements set beneath the blue, evokes the play of light on the surface of the sea.

Bio courtesy of Bitossi.

Glaze and firing anomalies as made; tall vase with two cracks wrapping rim, one with associated fleabite to interior.