Modern Vases
The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw sweeping social change and major scientific advances — both of which contributed to a new aesthetic: modernism. Rejecting the rigidity of Victorian artistic conventions, modernists sought a new means of expression. References to the natural world and ornate classical embellishments gave way to the sleek simplicity of the Machine Age. Architect Philip Johnson characterized the hallmarks of modernism as “machine-like simplicity, smoothness or surface [and] avoidance of ornament.”
Early practitioners of modernist design include the De Stijl (“The Style”) group, founded in the Netherlands in 1917, and the Bauhaus School, founded two years later in Germany.
Followers of both groups produced sleek, spare designs — many of which became icons of daily life in the 20th century. The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics. While Bauhaus principals Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created furniture from mass-produced, chrome-plated steel, American visionaries like Charles and Ray Eames worked in materials as novel as molded plywood and fiberglass. Today, Breuer’s Wassily chair, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair — crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich — and the Eames lounge chair are emblems of progressive design and vintage originals are prized cornerstones of collections.
It’s difficult to overstate the influence that modernism continues to wield over designers and architects — and equally difficult to overstate how revolutionary it was when it first appeared a century ago. But because modernist furniture designs are so simple, they can blend in seamlessly with just about any type of décor. Don’t overlook them.
Early 2000s English Modern Vases
Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Modern Vases
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Vases
Murano Glass
2010s German Modern Vases
Ceramic, Natural Fiber
2010s Malaysian Modern Vases
Copper
2010s Greek Modern Vases
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Vases
Resin
2010s American Modern Vases
Blown Glass
2010s Danish Modern Vases
Ceramic
Early 2000s Italian Modern Vases
Art Glass, Blown Glass
2010s Danish Modern Vases
Metal
2010s German Modern Vases
Ceramic, Natural Fiber
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Vases
Resin
2010s Swedish Modern Vases
Tin
2010s Swedish Modern Vases
Tin
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Vases
Stoneware
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Vases
Art Glass
2010s Belgian Modern Vases
Stone
2010s Brazilian Modern Vases
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Vases
Stoneware
Late 20th Century American Modern Vases
Ceramic
2010s Malaysian Modern Vases
Copper
2010s Spanish Modern Vases
Porcelain
2010s South African Modern Vases
Stoneware
2010s Lebanese Modern Vases
Marble, Stainless Steel
1990s Mexican Modern Vases
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Vases
Marble
2010s German Modern Vases
Aluminum
2010s Spanish Modern Vases
Porcelain
2010s Malaysian Modern Vases
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Vases
Earthenware
2010s Italian Modern Vases
Gold Leaf
2010s Belgian Modern Vases
Marble
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Vases
Stoneware
2010s Italian Modern Vases
Murano Glass
2010s American Modern Vases
Blown Glass
2010s Malaysian Modern Vases
Copper
2010s French Modern Vases
Sandstone
Mid-20th Century Swedish Modern Vases
Stoneware
2010s Swedish Modern Vases
Tin
2010s South African Modern Vases
Stoneware
2010s Italian Modern Vases
Murano Glass
1970s French Vintage Modern Vases
Ceramic
2010s Portuguese Modern Vases
Marble
2010s Malaysian Modern Vases
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Malaysian Modern Vases
Copper
2010s Czech Modern Vases
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Vases
Resin
2010s Dutch Modern Vases
Felt
2010s Belgian Modern Vases
Bronze
2010s Belgian Modern Vases
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Vases
Iron
2010s Italian Modern Vases
Iron
2010s French Modern Vases
Earthenware
2010s American Modern Vases
Glass, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Vases
Stone, Crystal
2010s Malaysian Modern Vases
Copper
2010s American Modern Vases
Beech