Like a Fellini movie, the ceramics of the famed Italian company Bitossi Ceramiche embody a creative spectrum that ranges from the playful and earthy to the high-minded and provocative. Based in Florence, Bitossi draws on craft traditions that date back to the 1500s. These find expression in Bitossi pottery that includes artisanal vintage vases and animal figures by the firm’s longtime art director Aldo Londi, as well as the colorful, totemic vessels designed by the high priest of postmodernism, Ettore Sottsass.
Bitossi was incorporated by Guido Bitossi in 1921, though the family began making art pottery in the mid-19th century. In the 1930s, Londi came aboard, bringing with him a mindset that respected time-honored craft, yet looked also to the future. On the one hand, Londi’s perspective fostered the making of Bitossi’s popular whimsical cats, owls, horses and other animal figures, hand-shaped and -carved and finished in a rich azure glaze known as “Rimini Blue.”
But with his other hand, Londi reached out to thoughtful, experimental designers such as Sottsass. After hiring Sottsass to design ceramics for his New York imports company, Raymor, American entrepreneur Irving Richards connected the Milanese design polymath to Londi, who introduced Sottsass to ceramics in the 1950s.
During that decade, some 20 years before he founded the Memphis postmodern design collective in Milan, Sottsass used the Bitossi kilns to create timeless works that manifest both primitive forms and modern geometries. In later decades, Bitossi would welcome new generations of designers, which have included such names as Ginevra Bocini and Karim Rashid.
While always looking forward, Bitossi is firm in their belief that mastery of craft is the first step towards beautiful design. As you will see from the works offered on these pages, that is a winning philosophy.
Find a collection of vintage Bitossi decorative objects, lighting and serveware on 1stDibs.
Unusual Ceramic Box By Bitossi Raymor, Italy
By Bitossi
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
An unusual ceramic box by Bitossi for Rosenthal Netter, Italy, ca' 1960's, signed. Geometric design, beautifully decorated in yellow, brown, black.
Ceramic
$1,125Sale Price|55% Off
H 2 in W 8 in D 4 in
Bitossi for Raymor Box, Ceramic, White, Black, and Brown, Signed
By Aldo Londi, Bitossi, Raymor
Located in New York, NY
Bitossi for Raymor box, ceramic white, black, and brown, signed. Small lidded box glazed in chocolate brown, white and black from Aldo Londi's Piastrelle Bi...
Ceramic
$847Sale Price|50% Off
H 2 in W 8.25 in D 4 in
Bitossi for Rosenthal Netter Box, Ceramic, Chartreuse, Signed
By Bitossi, Rosenthal Netter
Located in New York, NY
Bitossi for Rosenthal Netter box, ceramic, chartreuse, signed. Small scale lidded box decorated with impressed geometric patterns and glazed in chartreuse, ...
Ceramic
$600Sale Price|66% Off
H 2 in W 8 in D 4 in
Bitossi Rosenthal Netter Box, Ceramic, Stripes, Orange, Black, Yellow, Signed
By Rosenthal Netter, Bitossi
Located in New York, NY
Bitossi for Rosenthal netter box, ceramic, stripes, orange, black and yellow, signed. Small scale ceramic lidded box decorated with angled planks, glazed an...
Ceramic
Hand-Painted Porcelain Horse Box by Bitossi, Mid-Century Modern, Italy
By Bitossi
Located in New York, NY
Mid Century porcelain keepsake/cigarette box hand decorated with a water color effect glaze depicting a horse.
Porcelain
$850
H 2.38 in W 8.38 in D 4.13 in
Bitossi for Raymor (Attributed) Italian Ceramic Lidded Box with Fused Glass Lid
By Bitossi, Raymor
Located in Minneapolis, MN
Here is a striking mid-century Italian ceramic lidded box dating to the 1950s, distinguished by its richly textured fused glass mosaic lid in a vibrant palette of golden yellow, turq...
Ceramic
Bitossi Lidded Ceramic Box, Italy, c.1955
By Bitossi
Located in San Juan Capistrano, CA
Bitossi Lidded Ceramic Box, Italy, c.1955.
Ceramic
Bitossi Box, Ceramic, Orange and Matte Brown, Signed
By Bitossi
Located in New York, NY
Bitossi box, ceramic, orange and matte brown, signed. Small scale box having a raw clay lid hash mark incising and decorated with an orange glazed pill pat...
Ceramic
Aldo Londi Bitossi Ceramic Box, Mid-Century Modern, Italy, 1960s
By Bitossi, Aldo Londi
Located in New York, NY
Aldo Londi Bitossi Ceramic Box, Mid-Century Modern, Italy, 1960s. Small scale Mondrian box decorated with rectangles and lines and glazed in red, yellow, and black. Signed faintly on...
Ceramic, Clay
$1,950
H 2.25 in W 8 in D 4 in
Ceramic Box by Aldo Londi Bitossi, Italy, Orange with Gold Decoration, C 1960
By Bitossi
Located in New York, NY
Decorative ceramic box by Aldo Londi Bitossi, Italy, circa 1960. Signed at the bottom, 79/11, Italy. Organic designs on the lid with gold decorations.
Ceramic
$975
H 2.38 in W 8 in D 4 in
Aldo Londi for Bitossi Italian Mid-Century Ceramic Box -- Fused Glass Fish Motif
By Bitossi, Aldo Londi
Located in Minneapolis, MN
Here is a richly textured and visually compelling Italian ceramic box by Aldo Londi for Bitossi, dating to the mid-20th century and retailed by Raymor. The rectangular form is distin...
Ceramic
$1,100Sale Price|50% Off
H 2 in W 8.25 in D 4 in
Bitossi Box, Ceramic, Blue, Green, White Stripes, Signed
By Bitossi
Located in New York, NY
Bitossi box, ceramic, blue, green, white stripes, signed. Small scale colorful lidded box decorated with a tight hard edge pattern of blue, green and white stripes...
Ceramic
Aldo Londi Bitossi Box, Ceramic, Blue, Gold, Geometric, Signed
By Aldo Londi, Bitossi
Located in New York, NY
Bitossi Box, Ceramic, Blue, Gold, Geometric, Signed. Small scale lidded box with gold glazed geometric zig-zag pattern over a Rimini blue glaze. Signed on the underside 854.
Ceramic
Bitossi Raymor Blue Ceramic Box
By Bitossi
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
Fantastic and rare in this light blue color, Bitossi for Raymor ceramic box.
Ceramic
Bitossi Rimini Turquoise Box
By Bitossi
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
A beautiful Bitossi box-Rimini in turquoise color like the ocean with rich wavy texture.
Ceramic
Bitossi Rimini Blue Box
By Bitossi
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
Intense Rimini blue box by Bitossi, Italy, ca' 1960's.
Ceramic
Italian Green Ceramic Box by Bitossi
By Bitossi
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Beautiful artistic green painted rectangular ceramic box with lid by Bitossi. Painted shades of green and yellow with a glaze finish. Etched geometric design on lid. Original label ...
Ceramic