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Mid-Century Modern Pottery

MID-CENTURY MODERN STYLE

Organically shaped, clean-lined and elegantly simple are three terms that well describe vintage mid-century modern furniture. The style, which emerged primarily in the years following World War II, is characterized by pieces that were conceived and made in an energetic, optimistic spirit by creators who believed that good design was an essential part of good living.

ORIGINS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN

CHARACTERISTICS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN

MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW

ICONIC MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNS

VINTAGE MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS

The mid-century modern era saw leagues of postwar American architects and designers animated by new ideas and new technology. The lean, functionalist International-style architecture of Le Corbusier and Bauhaus eminences Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius had been promoted in the United States during the 1930s by Philip Johnson and others. New building techniques, such as “post-and-beam” construction, allowed the International-style schemes to be realized on a small scale in open-plan houses with long walls of glass.

Materials developed for wartime use became available for domestic goods and were incorporated into mid-century modern furniture designs. Charles and Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen, who had experimented extensively with molded plywood, eagerly embraced fiberglass for pieces such as the La Chaise and the Womb chair, respectively. 

Architect, writer and designer George Nelson created with his team shades for the Bubble lamp using a new translucent polymer skin and, as design director at Herman Miller, recruited the Eameses, Alexander Girard and others for projects at the legendary Michigan furniture manufacturer

Harry Bertoia and Isamu Noguchi devised chairs and tables built of wire mesh and wire struts. Materials were repurposed too: The Danish-born designer Jens Risom created a line of chairs using surplus parachute straps for webbed seats and backrests.

The Risom lounge chair was among the first pieces of furniture commissioned and produced by legendary manufacturer Knoll, a chief influencer in the rise of modern design in the United States, thanks to the work of Florence Knoll, the pioneering architect and designer who made the firm a leader in its field. The seating that Knoll created for office spaces — as well as pieces designed by Florence initially for commercial clients — soon became desirable for the home.

As the demand for casual, uncluttered furnishings grew, more mid-century furniture designers caught the spirit.

Classically oriented creators such as Edward Wormley, house designer for Dunbar Inc., offered such pieces as the sinuous Listen to Me chaise; the British expatriate T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings switched gears, creating items such as the tiered, biomorphic Mesa table. There were Young Turks such as Paul McCobb, who designed holistic groups of sleek, blond wood furniture, and Milo Baughman, who espoused a West Coast aesthetic in minimalist teak dining tables and lushly upholstered chairs and sofas with angular steel frames.

As the collection of vintage mid-century modern chairs, dressers, coffee tables and other furniture for the living room, dining room, bedroom and elsewhere on 1stDibs demonstrates, this period saw one of the most delightful and dramatic flowerings of creativity in design history.

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Style: Mid-Century Modern
Color:  Purple
DeSimone of Italy, Hand Painted Colorful Ceramic Plate, 1960s
Located in Rothley, Leicestershire
Colorful hand painted, large ceramic plate by DeSimone, Italy Signed DeSimone, Italy to reverse, circa 1960s Measures: Height 1 inch, diameter 10 inch In very good condition.
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Pottery

Materials

Ceramic

Mid-Century French Atelier Cérenne à Vallauris Hand Made Signed Tulip Plate
Located in Philadelphia, PA
From the Atelier Cérenne à Vallauris in France, a hand made pottery Tulip plate, circa 1940-1950. The plate is finished in a matte glazing of half black and half white, with a pair...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Pottery

Materials

Earthenware

Mid-Century French Atelier Cérenne à Vallauris Hand Made Signed Tulip Plate
Located in Philadelphia, PA
From the Atelier Cérenne à Vallauris in France, a hand made pottery Tulip plate, circa 1940-1950. The plate is finished in a matte glazing of half black and half white, with a pair...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Pottery

Materials

Earthenware

Mid-Century French Atelier Cérenne à Vallauris Hand Made Signed Tulip Plate
Located in Philadelphia, PA
From the Atelier Cérenne à Vallauris in France, a hand made pottery Tulip plate, circa 1940-1950. The plate is finished in a matte glazing of half black and half white, with a pair...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Pottery

Materials

Earthenware

Blue and Cream Ceramic Vessel by Mado Jolain, France, 1955
Located in New York City, NY
Blue and cream glazed ceramic bowl/vessel by Mado Jolain, France, c. 1955. This elegant ceramic dish, executed in deep blue and cream tones, displays the signature "pinch grip" foun...
Category

1950s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Pottery

Materials

Ceramic

Bjorn Wiinblad Studio Pottery Figural Bird Bowl & Serving Spoon Set, 1960
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A lovely blue decorated studio pottery bowl or small tureen by Bjorn Wiinblad together with the matching spoon. Signed and dated 1960 to the base. Height: circa 4 3/4 in. Spo...
Category

1960s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Pottery

Materials

Pottery

1960s Angelo Mangiarotti for Brambilla Italian Space Age Design Pottery Ashtray
Located in Brescia, IT
Blue pottery ashtray Perfect condition.
Category

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Pottery

Materials

Pottery

Saxbo Glazed Jar with Lid and Plated Spoon by Danish Designer Eva Stæhr Nielsen
Located in Studio City, CA
Fantastic lidded porcelain jar with a beautiful deep, dark cobalt hare's fur glaze by famed Danish designer/ceramist Eva Stæhr Nielsen. This piece features her iconic dripped bluish,...
Category

1950s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Pottery

Materials

Porcelain

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Impressive 19th Century Large Italian Majolica Hand Painted Plate
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Very impressive large hand painted Italian Majolica plate made of tin glazed earthenware from the early 1800s. The biblical scene shows possibl...
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Important Wall Ceramic Abstract Plate Decoration by JN Gerard French Pottery
By Jean Nicolas Gerard
Located in Neuilly-en- sancerre, FR
J.N. Gerard French ceramic wall plate realised in the 1990s. Excellent original conditions, signed under the base Dimensions: 7 x 31 x 31cm.
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1990s French Mid-Century Modern Pottery

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Peter Voulkos American Studio Pottery Faces Tea Bowl
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A stunning vintage American Studio Pottery tea bowl decorated with Expressionist faces by Peter Voulkos. The stoneware tea bowl stands on a narrow rounded unglazed foot with a rounde...
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20th Century Mid-Century Modern Pottery

Materials

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Pottery from Rabat, Morocco, Contemporary Ceramic Jar, Cream and Black Colors
Located in New York, NY
Pottery from Morocco. Inspired by Swedish midcentury pottery like Stig Lindberg. Designed and made by a local artist in Rabat.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Mid-Century Modern Pottery

Materials

Ceramic

Hand Painted Ceramic Greek Plate
Located in San Diego, CA
Hand painted ceramic Greek motif plate, made in Greece. It is ready to be displayed on wall. Black, white and brown in color. There is some crackling in the glaze.
Category

20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Pottery

Materials

Clay

Pottery from Morocco, Cream & Burgundy Color, Handcrafted, Contemporary Ceramic
Located in New York, NY
Pottery from Morocco. Inspired by Swedish midcentury pottery like Stig Lindberg. Handcrafted pottery by a local artist in Rabat.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Mid-Century Modern Pottery

Materials

Ceramic

Ribbed Studio Pottery Bowl
Located in Clermont, FL
A midcentury clay studio pottery bowl with ribbed exterior.
Category

Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Pottery

Materials

Clay

Robert Maxwell Signed Large Mid-Century Modern California Studio Pottery Charger
Located in Studio City, CA
A wonderfully made and beautifully designed Mid-Century Modern pottery charger by famed California potter and sculptor Robert Maxwell. Maxwell co-founded Earthgender pottery with fellow potter David Cressey. This charger/platter was made at his Venice beach, California Pottery studio in the early 1960s as verified by his wife. It is a very rare piece in respect to design, pattern, and sheer Size/heft (it is a very heavy work). We have not seen another quite like it. Apparently, he only made a few with some filled with melted glass to create the design/pattern. Signed by Maxwell on the base. Would clearly be a great addition to any mid-century pottery/ceramics collection...
Category

1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Pottery

Materials

Pottery

Pair of Large Spanish Ceramic Decorative Wall Plates, 1960s
Located in Barcelona, ES
Unmatching pair of glazed ceramic wall plates from Catalonia, Spain, 1960s. Each one has a different abstract design with multi color geometric motifs. Large size. Excellent conditio...
Category

Mid-20th Century Spanish Mid-Century Modern Pottery

Materials

Ceramic

1960s Tom McMillan California Studio Pottery Lidded Vessel
Located in Palm Springs, CA
California stoneware studio pottery lidded vessel made by Tom McMillin. Piece stands 7" in height and has a 6.25" diameter. Signed McMillin. In very good vintage condition.
Category

1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Pottery

Materials

Stoneware

Signed Mid-Century Scheier Pottery Serving Dish
Located in Forney, TX
Early and rare hand-thrown ceramic serving dish by mid-century modern masters, Edwin and Mary Scheier. With curved handles and a swirl design, this fabulous hand-crafted pottery ston...
Category

Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Pottery

Materials

Ceramic, Pottery

Amelie Richter (Bavarian-French, 20th Century) Studio Pottery Plate
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Hand made glazed studio pottery shallow bowl or plate by Amelie (Amely, Aly) Richter, in plum, lavender and black ues. Signed Aly Richter on underside. Before her marriage to Dr Georg Martin Richter, in November of 1920, naturalised American citizen, Amelie (Amely, Aly) Richter, had been a Baroness, born in Bavaria and raised in France. A long-time hobbyist, after Dr Richter’s death in 1942, Amelie opened her own studios for art and interior design in New York and London, where she refurbished and embellished old furniture. Inspired by her many trips with Georg to museums and archives, Amelie was known to utilise motifs borrowed from prehistoric cave paintings and American Indian art, and to accent her pieces with semi-precious stones, in shades of purple and turquoise. After directing the arts and crafts department at private high schools in Arizona and California, between 1947 and 1951, Amelie moved to Boston where she studied ceramics at the Museum School of Fine Arts, under the tutelage of Norman Arsenault. She continued her training at the Alfred University where she took technical classes in glaze calculations and clay-body composition, before becoming a member of the Pottery Workshop...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Pottery

Materials

Pottery

Previously Available Items
Royal Haeger Mauve Pink Rounded Square Vase
Located in New York, NY
Royal Haeger Mauve pink rounded square vase, small size. In great condition, no crazing or cracks. Pairs beautifully with our other Royal Haeger abstract vases in Mauve and Blush, se...
Category

1980s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Pottery

Materials

Ceramic, Pottery

Mid-Century Italian Lidded Ceramic Pot by Marcello Fantoni, 1950s
Located in Zwijndrecht, Antwerp
A very unusual asymmetric shaped pottery box glazed in a vibrant blue colour and decorated with graphic patterns in orange and yellow. Attributed to Italian artist Marcello Fantoni. ...
Category

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Pottery

Materials

Ceramic

Bitossi, Londi Rearing Bull, circa 1965, Italy, Rimini Blu Color
Located in Pymble, NSW
An early Aldo Londi designed stylized rearing bull in blue with the 'Rimini' color. Impressive strong design that was very popular in this period.
Category

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Pottery

Materials

Pottery

Mid-century Modern pottery for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Mid-Century Modern pottery for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage pottery created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include serveware, ceramics, silver and glass, decorative objects, folk art and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with ceramic, pottery and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Mid-Century Modern pottery made in a specific country, there are Europe, North America, and United States pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original pottery, popular names associated with this style include Bitossi, Aldo Londi, Scheurich Keramik, and Marcello Fantoni. 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. Prices for pottery differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $78 and tops out at $29,941 while the average work can sell for $726.

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