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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Set of 7 Porcelain Plates - Albertine - Bořek Šípek for De Porceleyne Fles Delft
By B. Sipek, De Porceleyne Fles
Located in Casteren, Noord-Brabant
A beautiful set of 7 porcelain plates, made by the Dutch brand De Porceleyne Fles Delft. Designed by the famous Czech architect / designer Bořek Šípek. The plates are beautifully des...
Porcelain
$819 / set
H 6.89 in W 4.73 in D 3.94 in
Dutch Delft Porceleyne Fles Oval Lobed Jugs with Handles, 1894
By De Koninklijke Porceleyne Fles
Located in Delft, NL
Dutch Delft Porceleyne Fles oval lobed jugs with handles, 1894 2 oval lobed jugs with handles. In leaf motif painted medallion a scene of seascape and a landscape with ships and ...
Earthenware
Delft 'Peacock' plate by 'De Claauw' - second half 18th century
By Delft
Located in DELFT, NL
Dutch Delft blue and white 'Peacock' plate, 18th century, with ochre rim, the center decorated in cobalt with an vase containing an arrangement of peacock feathers and flowers. The r...
Earthenware, Delft, Faience
Delft pair of 'Peacock' plates by 'De Klaauw' - second half 18th century
By Delft
Located in DELFT, NL
Pair of two Dutch Delft blue and white 'Peacock' plate, 18th century, with ochre rim, the centre decorated in cobalt with an vase containing an arrangement of peacock feathers and fl...
Earthenware, Delft, Faience
1985 Rare Postmodern Porcelain & Silver Teapot by Borek Sipek for Driade
$700Sale Price|65% Off
H 2.5 in Dm 16.25 in
Huge Royal Delft De Porceleyne Fles Blue and White Bloomers Charger Plate Plaque
By Delft
Located in Miami Beach, FL
This impressive Delft Blue and white ceramic charger or plate was produced in the 20th century at De Porceleyne Fles (now Royal Delft). The image is after a painting by Dutch painter...
Pottery
Delft Kangxi style charger, 'De Porceleyne Bijl", 18th century
Located in DELFT, NL
Dutch Delft Chinoiserie Kangxi Style charger depicting a Chinese garden. The rim with 10 fan-shaped panels Marked with an axe for 'The Porceleyne Bijl' (the Porcelain Axe) 1657-180...
Earthenware, Delft, Faience
Dutch Delft Porceleyne Fles tile "Oude Delft", 1906
By De Koninklijke Porceleyne Fles
Located in Delft, NL
A Dutch delft Porceleyne Fles tile "Oude delft ", 1906 A delft Porceleyne Fles tile of 21 cm high, 15 cm wide in a wooden frame. Image represents the "Oude delft " and was paint...
Wood, Porcelain
Delfts Blauw Chemkefa Holland Porcelain Charger Wall Hanging Plate
By Delft
Located in Torquay, GB
Large sized porcelain wall hanging charger by Delfts Blauw Holland, circa late 1960s. Depicting an Old Tar smoking a pipe while looking out at the sea beyond. In very good condition.
Porcelain
Set of 18th Century Delft Plates
Located in Essex, MA
Set of 18th century Delft plate. Six from a series. One bowl of different form.
Delft
Delft - set of three chinoiserie plates, mid 18th century
By Delft
Located in DELFT, NL
Set of three Dutch Delftware faience chinoiserie plates, mid-18th century. Each plate is hand-painted in cobalt blue on a white tin-glazed ground, reflecting the strong influence of ...
Earthenware, Delft, Faience
''De Grieksche A', Dextra - Polychrome Delft plate
Located in DELFT, NL
Mid 18th century Blue Delftware plate with central decoration of a flower baskets, surrounded by 5 cartouches with similar decoration. Marked 'D' for Jan Teunis Dextra, owner of De...
Earthenware, Delft, Faience
Antique De Porceleyne Bijl Chinese Garden Chinoiserie Dutch Delft Pottery Plate
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A fine antique Dutch Delft pottery plate. By the De Porceleyne Bijl (The Porcelain Axe) factory. With a broad flat rim and a shallow well. The well decorated in underglaze blue with a Chinese garden scene including a fence, tree, stylized ferns, and a large chrysanthemum flower. The rim decorated with flowers and scrollwork and a yellow painted line to the rim. Marked to the reverse with a stylized blue axe mark to the reverse. Simply a wonderful antique Delft plate...
Delft
Babs Haenen "Delfts Labyrinth" Vase, the Netherlands 2019
By Babs Haenen
Located in Utrecht, NL
The “Delfts Labyrinth” Vase has a strong sense of movement and harmony. Babs Haenen has a background in dance and often it seems as if she is choreographing her ceramics into one of a kind shapes and forms. Like many of Haenen’s works, this vase seems to have hardened from a liquid state, which shows off her great skill. The blue and white porcelain is the scene of an expressive play of shadows, cast by the labyrinth-like pattern. The vase is made of coloured porcelain slabs that the artist manipulates by hand and are coloured with pigment and rolled exquisitely to form thin ribbons, folded in organic shapes. The result is a modern, yet classic appearance. As the name suggests, the colours are inspired by the iconic Delft Blue ceramics, that originated in the 17th century. The blue is present in various shapes and shades; as saturated surfaces, as a diluted mixture, but also as fine lines on the curvature of the vase’s many forms. This exceptional ceramic work of Babs Haenen is expressive of her skill and artistic expression. Condition: New Dimensions: Ø 11.02 in x 12.40 in H Ø 28 cm x 31.5 cm H About the designer: Babs Haenen, was born in Amsterdam in 1948. In 1979, she graduated with Geert Lap...
Ceramic