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Modern Pitchers

MODERN STYLE

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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 chaircrafted 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.

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Style: Modern
Period: 1950s
Laura Andreson ceramic / pottery pitcher , signed dated
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Very nice and elegant ceramic pitcher by the well known potter Laura Andreson .
Category

1950s American Vintage Modern Pitchers

Materials

Ceramic

Carl Auböck Glass Pitcher with Cane Wrapped Handle, 1950's
Located in Bainbridge, NY
Modern Carl Auböck Glass Pitcher with his classic caned wrapped handle. Featuring a handcrafted large, wide mouth clear Austrian Glass Pitcher with...
Category

1950s Austrian Vintage Modern Pitchers

Materials

Cane, Glass

Carl-Harry Stalhane Pitcher
Located in San Francisco, CA
A cinnamon colored stoneware water jug for Rorstrand. Inscribed on base with makers initials and studio mark.
Category

1950s Danish Vintage Modern Pitchers

Materials

Stoneware

Vintage Georg Jensen “Swan” Pitcher 1052 Henning Koppel
Located in Hellerup, DK
An extremely large sculptural sterling silver Georg Jensen pitcher, design #1052 by Henning Koppel from 1956, this design called the “Swan” pitcher. This...
Category

1950s Danish Vintage Modern Pitchers

Materials

Sterling Silver

'Pichet Espagnol' from the Madoura Pottery 'AR 245' by Pablo Picasso '1954'
Located in London, GB
'Pichet Espagnol' ceramic piece from the Madoura Pottery (A.R. 245) by Pablo Picasso (1954). A fired, unglazed ceramic pitcher in the form of a stylise...
Category

1950s French Vintage Modern Pitchers

Materials

Ceramic

Ceramic Pitcher with Colorful Decoration in Red, Blue and Yellow, Albisola, 1950
Located in Berlin, DE
Joyful ceramic pitcher by Ceramiche Albisola. It has a smooth, glazed surface with flame like stripes in red, blue and yellow. Signed at the bottom 'Albisola', circa 1950. Albisola/L...
Category

1950s Italian Vintage Modern Pitchers

Materials

Ceramic

Carl Auböck Vintage Pitcher
Located in London, GB
Vintage pitcher by Carl Auböck II, Vienna, 1950s. Made of handblown glass, it is covered by a band of leather which develops in a handle with hand s...
Category

1950s Austrian Vintage Modern Pitchers

Materials

Leather, Blown Glass

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Rare Carl Auböck Martini Newspaper Glass Pitcher, Austria, 1950s
Located in Vienna, AT
A beautiful glass pitcher from the 1950s, designed and executed by Carl Auböck, Austria. Usually these pitchers have a leather belt, but this one has a lovely newspaper decor on its ...
Category

20th Century Austrian Modern Pitchers

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Brass

D. Peterson Ceramic Pitcher and Cups Set Dated 1956
By D. Peterson
Located in Chicago, IL
This handmade ceramic pitcher and cups set has classically simple forms. The glaze treatment is wonderfully irregular, embracing the spontaneity of the process. The darker glaze on t...
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1950s American Vintage Modern Pitchers

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Handcrafted Modern Porcelain Pitcher Handstitch Leather Wrap
Located in Sharon, CT
Inspired by Daniel's hand built boats (particularly the leather detail on the wooden oars) the porcelain Remo Pitcher is simple and elegant with a hand stit...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pitchers

Materials

Leather, Porcelain

Ceramic Plate Visage Gris 'Grey Face' A.R. 206 by Pablo Picasso & Madoura, 1953
Located in New York, NY
The engraved and brush painted ceramic plate, Visage Gris (Grey Face) is one the most iconic pieces created by Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973) at the Madoura workshop in Vallauris, France. It is said "all portraits are self portraits". In this work, we see Picasso's wistfulness, vulnerability and humor set within a beautiful image representing both the sun and the moon, the masculine and the feminine. Picasso mastery of form, image, composition and subtle color is evident in a work that resonates transcendence. Created in 1953, Pablo Picasso ceramic Visage Gris (Grey Face), 1953 A.R. 206 is a Madoura white earthenware clay, knife engraved under partial brushed glaze with decoration in engobes (green, black, white) from the edition of 500. This work is stamped with the 'Madoura PLEIN FEU' and ‘EMPREINTE ORIGINALE DE PICASSO’ pottery stamps on the reverse. Dimensions: 12 3/8 x 15 1/8 x 1 5/8in (31.4 x 38.3 x 4.1cm). Madoura was an artisan workshop created by Georges and Suzanne Ramie which collaborated with Picasso in the fabrication and hand painting of the works. Pablo Picasso designed 633 different ceramic editions between 1947 and 1971 at the Madoura workshop, with a number of variants and unique pieces resulting from these initial works. He began by creating simple, utilitarian objects such as plates and bowls, but later produced more complex forms, including pitchers and vases — their handles occasionally shaped to form facial features, or anatomical parts of his animal subjects. Picasso remains one of the highest-grossing artists at auction today, and the range of his ceramics means it's possible to find both a good investment and a beautiful object. Visage Gris is among the most important. A Short Biography follows: Pablo Picasso revolutionized the art world and to many is THE artist of the 20th century. He is famous for his role in pioneering Cubism with Georges Braque and for his melancholy Blue Period pieces. Original signed Picasso lithographs and prints are a sure investment. Madoura Picasso ceramics are highly collectible in their own right. As one of the most influential Modern artists of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso is renowned as a legendary artistic master to this day. Born on October 25, 1881 in Malaga, Spain, Pablo Picasso was a child prodigy who was recognized as such by his art-teacher father, who ably led him along. The small Museo de Picasso in Barcelona is devoted primarily to his early works, which include strikingly realistic renderings of casts of ancient sculpture. Picasso was a rebel from the start and, as a teenager, began to frequent the Barcelona cafes where intellectuals gathered. He soon went to Paris, the capital of art, and soaked up the works of Edouard Manet, Gustave Courbet, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, whose sketchy style impressed him greatly. Then it was back to Spain, a return to France, and again back to Spain – all in the years 1899 to 1904. Before he struck upon Cubism, Picasso went through a prodigious number of styles – realism, caricature, the Blue Period, and the Rose Period. These distinguished styles are apparent in the unique original works as well as Picasso ceramics, lithographs, linocuts, and etchings that he created later in his life. The Blue Period dates from 1901 to 1904 and is characterized by a predominantly blue palette and focuses on outcasts, beggars, and prostitutes. This was when he also produced his first sculptures. The most poignant work of the style, La Vie (1903), currently located in Cleveland’s Museum of Art, was created in memory of his childhood friend, the Spanish poet Carlos Casagemas, who had committed suicide. The painting started as a self-portrait, but Picasso’s features became those of his lost friend. The composition is stilted, the space compressed, the gestures stiff, and the tones predominantly blue. The Rose Period began around 1904 when Picasso’s palette brightened and is dominated by pinks and beiges, light blues, and roses. His subjects are saltimbanques (circus people), harlequins, and clowns, all of whom seem to be mute and strangely inactive. One of the premier works of this period is Family of Saltimbanques (1905), currently in Washington, D.C. at the National Gallery, which portrays a group of circus workers who appear alienated and incapable of communicating with each other, set in a one-dimensional space. In 1905, Picasso went briefly to Holland, and on his return to Paris, his works took on a classical aura with large male and female figures seen frontally or in distinct profile, as in early Greek art. One of the best examples of this style is in the Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo, NY, La Toilette (1906). Several pieces in this new, classical style were purchased by Gertrude Stein (the art patron and writer) and her brother, Leo Stein. With his groundbreaking 1907 painting Les Demoiselles d’Avignon...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Modern Pitchers

Materials

Earthenware

Scandinavian Modern Ceramic Lamp by Carl Harry Stalhane
Located in Atlanta, GA
Scandinavian Modern Ceramic Lamp by Carl Harry Stalhane for Rorstrand, Sweden, circa 1950's. Retains it's original brass fittings. Rewired and ready to use. The price noted below inc...
Category

1950s Swedish Vintage Modern Pitchers

Materials

Brass

Oversized Glazed Ceramic Gurgle Fish Jug Tall Pitcher, 1950s
Located in Barcelona, ES
Oversized Mid-Century Modernist glazed ceramic gurgling fish water jug / pitcher. England, 1950s-1960s Manufactured by Dartmouth Devon England....
Category

20th Century English Modern Pitchers

Materials

Majolica, Ceramic

Distinctive Gabriel Fourmaintraux Signed French Hand Painted Ceramic Pitcher
Located in Rothley, Leicestershire
Striking yellow and black glazed pitcher, decorated with stylised flowers. Bright yellow glaze to interior. Fourmaintraux's unmistakable artistry makes this a great collectors piec...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Modern Pitchers

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Ceramic

Pablo Picasso “Picador” Pottery Plate, Limited Edition, 1952
Located in Bradenton, FL
Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973), "Picador" (A.R. 160) 1952, white earthenware plate. Madoura Plein Feu and Editions Picasso stamps on underside, inscribed: "Editions Picasso" bene...
Category

Mid-20th Century Spanish Modern Pitchers

Materials

Pottery

John Leach Muchelney Pottery Wax Resist Studio Pottery Jug
By John Leach
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
From a large collection of studio pottery we offer this very fine quality John Leach studio pottery jug dated 2009. John is a member of the renowned Leach family and is the son of David Leach and eldest grandson of Bernard Leach. The handled jug of oval shape has a squeezed body with a handle and tall narrow pouring spout and is decorated in wax resist...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Pitchers

Materials

Pottery

John Leach Muchelney Pottery Wax Resist Studio Pottery Jug
John Leach Muchelney Pottery Wax Resist Studio Pottery Jug
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H 4.73 in W 4.73 in D 3.15 in
Ceramic Plate by Pablo Picasso, 1953
Located in Hamburg, PA
Corrida sur fond noir ceramic plate by Pablo Picasso dated "25.9.53" stamped and marked "Madoura Plein Feu/Edition Picasso/D'Apres Picasso" (unde...
Category

1950s European Vintage Modern Pitchers

Materials

Ceramic

Ceramic Plate by Pablo Picasso, 1953
Ceramic Plate by Pablo Picasso, 1953
H 12.75 in W 15.5 in D 1.5 in
Tiffany & Co. Sterling Cocktail Pitcher, c1950s
Located in Litchfield, CT
Circa 1950s, Sterling, by Tiffany & Co. Sleek is the word. Tiffany fifties silver is functional and above all, serviceable. Serve water or mix cocktai...
Category

1950s American Vintage Modern Pitchers

Materials

Sterling Silver

Georg Jensen Cobra Carafe Glass by Constantin Wortmann
Located in New York, NY
Attracting the eye with its almost liquid expression, the designs create a dynamic presence on any table – and their functionality makes them a perfect choice for a stylish addition ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Pitchers

Materials

Glass

Previously Available Items
1950s Aldo Tura Hand Painted Cityscape Goatskin Parchment Carafe Pitcher, Italy
Located in McKinney, TX
- Hand painted and lacquered goatskin (parchment) - Wrapped around wood with a glass interior - Brass handle and lid, - circa 1950s - By Aldo Tura - Made in Italy - Good vintag...
Category

1950s Italian Vintage Modern Pitchers

Materials

Goatskin

Carl Auböck Set of Four Glasses with Leather Handle
Located in London, GB
A set of four glasses with leather handle by Carl Auböck II, Vienna, circa 1950s. The leather handles have a rich dark brown colour and are hand stitched around the glasses with a b...
Category

1950s Austrian Vintage Modern Pitchers

Materials

Leather, Blown Glass

Pablo Picasso Ceramic Pitcher Title "Picador" Madoura, Ramie 162, Year 1952
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Beautiful ceramic by Pablo Picasso when he worked in Vallauris, France. Signed edition Picasso Madoura in bottom. Edition of 500, made in 1952.
Category

1950s French Vintage Modern Pitchers

Materials

Ceramic

Bruno Gambone Ceramic Pitcher, Italy, circa 1960
Located in Berlin, DE
Bruno gambone ceramic pitcher, Italy, circa 1960.
Category

1950s Italian Vintage Modern Pitchers

Materials

Ceramic

1950s Carl Auböck Glass Pitcher with Cane Wrapped Handle
Located in Bainbridge, NY
Modern Carl Auböck glass pitcher with caned wrapped handle, circa 1950s. 3" top diameter.
Category

1950s Austrian Vintage Modern Pitchers

Materials

Cane, Glass

Pablo Picasso Picador Pitcher, 1952
Located in New York, NY
Hand-thrown partially glazed terracotta pitcher Picador (Alain Ramie 162) marked 'Edition Picasso/Madoura' on bottom, France 1952 (edition of 500).
Category

1950s French Vintage Modern Pitchers

Materials

Earthenware

Pablo Picasso Picador Pitcher, 1952
Pablo Picasso Picador Pitcher, 1952
H 5.25 in W 5 in D 3.5 in
1950s Italian Jazz Cocktail Set
Located in Aci Castello, IT
Amazing jazz cocktail set, made in Italy in the 1950s, all the glasses have different musicians. Glass height cm 14.
Category

1950s Italian Vintage Modern Pitchers

Materials

Glass

1950s Italian Jazz Cocktail Set
1950s Italian Jazz Cocktail Set
H 10.24 in Dm 4.73 in
Magnificent Midcentury Studio Pottery Vase
By Fohr
Located in Bellport, NY
Rare tall Fohr Studio Craft vase in a wonderful burnt orange and black shadowing relief. Black interior,large strong handle.
Category

1950s German Vintage Modern Pitchers

Materials

Ceramic

Carl Auböck Leather, Brass and Glass Drinks Pitcher
Located in London, GB
A great combination of materials by Carl Auböck to create a delicate and sophisticated design. This pitcher created in the Werkstätte Carl Auböck in 1950s Vienna is a Classic exam...
Category

1950s Austrian Vintage Modern Pitchers

Materials

Brass

Carl Auböck Cognac Leather and Glass Pitcher
Located in London, GB
A great glass pitcher with a hand stitched leather sleeve handle, made and designed by the Viennese brass master Carl Auböck. Made in the Vienna based workshop that has now been run...
Category

1950s Austrian Vintage Modern Pitchers

Materials

Glass, Leather

Carl Auböck Pitcher
Located in London, GB
Glass, leather and brass pitcher by Carl Auböck. Made in his workshop in central Vienna.
Category

1950s Austrian Vintage Modern Pitchers

Materials

Glass, Leather

Carl Auböck Pitcher
Carl Auböck Pitcher
H 9.45 in Dm 3.94 in
Carl Auböck Small But Perfect Copper Watering Can
Located in London, GB
Copper body, brass spout and wicker rapped handle small-scale watering can from the fantastic Vienna workshop of Carl Aubock. Great condition and patina to both the body and the wicker.
Category

1950s Austrian Vintage Modern Pitchers

Materials

Brass, Copper

Modern pitchers for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Modern pitchers for sale on 1stDibs. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee.

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