Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 21

Paul Ami Bonifas Signed Large Early Midcentury Swiss Studio Pottery Art Bowl

About the Item

A truly gorgeous and wonderfully crafted large art bowl by Swiss American sculptor/artist/ceramicist Paul Ami Bonifas (1893-1967). The glaze on this particular piece is exquisite with different shades of blue ranging from turquoise to navy depending on the light. This high gloss piece radiates. A quite heavy and well-made work. Paul Bonifas was born in Geneva, Switzerland. After his studies, he attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. In 1914, he set up a workshop near Geneva and, after working in Paris, returned to Switzerland in 1922 to start his own pottery workshop. His work is often recognized for his glossy black and occasional (and now somewhat rare) colorful glazes. In 1945, Bonifas migrated to the United States. In 1946 he arrived in Seattle to establish a ceramics department at the University of Washington where he would work as a ceramics instructor until 1959 at which time he retired to focus on his personal projects. The bowl is signed with Bonifas' monogram on the base. This piece would clearly stand out in any early to mid-20th century pottery/ceramics collection or be an eye-catching stand-alone accent centerpiece in about any setting. Dimensions: 2.85" high, 10.5" diameter.
  • Creator:
    Paul Bonifas (Artist)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 2.85 in (7.24 cm)Diameter: 10.5 in (26.67 cm)
  • Style:
    Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1930s
  • Condition:
    In very good to excellent vintage condition with no cracks, chips, etc... and light if any wear consistent with age and use (please see photos). Beautiful and engaging overall.
  • Seller Location:
    Studio City, CA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU2254332380692
More From This SellerView All
  • Otto and Vivika Heino Signed Midcentury Large California Studio Pottery Bowl
    By Otto and Vivika Heino
    Located in Studio City, CA
    A beautifully designed, exquisitely handmade bowl by pottery or ceramics masters husband and wife artists Vivika and Otto Heino. The two were best known for their inspired designs and distinctive glazes. This relatively hefty bowl is signed on the underside and is in excellent vintage condition with no discernible flaws. Really quite riveting and sure to Stand out in any collection or setting. Dimensions: 5.5" high, 8.5" diameter. They are winners of the following awards: Gold Medal from the sixth Biennale internationale de céramique d'art, in Vallauris, France. (1978) Silver medal from the International Ceramics Exhibitions in Ostend, Belgium (1959) Their work can be found in the following collections: American Craft Museum, New York City, NY County Art Museum and Craft Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA De Young Museum, San Francisco, CA Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA Picasso Museum in Vallauris, France Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC Craft & Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles Mingei Museum, San Diego Ventura County...
    Category

    20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Ceramics

    Materials

    Ceramic

  • William Wyman Signed Massachusetts Midcentury Herring Run Studio Pottery Bowl
    By William Wyman
    Located in Studio City, CA
    A wonderful work by East Coast/ Massachusetts master potter William Wymann. This piece features a fantastic texture and rich, sumptuous, deep ocean-like blue crackle glaze that chang...
    Category

    Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Ceramics

    Materials

    Stoneware

  • F. Carlton Ball Midcentury Signed Ceramic Glazed California Studio Pottery Bowl
    By F. Carlton Ball
    Located in Studio City, CA
    A fantastic, wonderfully glazed and textured Mid-Century Modern pottery bowl by renowned California master potter F. Carlton Ball. Ball, who studied with Glen Lukens, taught at the University of Southern California between 1956-1967 and later at the University of Puget Sound...
    Category

    Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Ceramics

    Materials

    Ceramic

  • Clyde Burt Signed Large Mid-Century Modern Studio Pottery Ceramic Art Bowl
    By Clyde Burt
    Located in Studio City, CA
    A wonderful and quite impressive large, heavy, hand-decorated bowl by Ohio-born Midwest American master potter/ artist Cyde Burt who early in his career studied under Maija Grotell...
    Category

    Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Ceramics

    Materials

    Pottery, Stoneware

  • Beatrice Wood Signed Pink Lava Glaze Midcentury California Studio Pottery Bowl
    By Beatrice Wood
    Located in Studio City, CA
    Famed California Mid-Century Modern artist Beatrice Wood signed bowl featuring a unique pink lava glaze and piercing blue crackle glass in the cente...
    Category

    Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Ceramics

    Materials

    Earthenware

  • Rose Cabat Signed Large Mid-Century Modern Ceramic Studio Pottery Bowl, 1950s
    By Rose Cabat
    Located in Studio City, CA
    A fantastic, quite unique, and rare early work by famed American studio potter Rose Cabat who became well known for her ceramic "feelies" and use of innovative glazes. These formative early pieces are very scarce. This handsome work has a very natural, organic feel to it and displays a beautiful repeating pattern. This piece is signed by Cabat on the base. Would be a wonderful addition to collectors of Cabat or other midcentury potter...
    Category

    Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Ceramics

    Materials

    Earthenware

You May Also Like
  • Handcrafted Italian Art Studio Large Stoneware Bowl Aqua Color
    Located in North Hollywood, CA
    Large 1960s Mid-Century Modern handcrafted large pottery platter. Hand-made stoneware decorative plate with classic sandy fat lava glaze. This ceramics were known to collectors as 'f...
    Category

    Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls

    Materials

    Ceramic

  • Lane Gordon Thorlaksson Canadian Studio Pottery Bowl with Stand
    Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
    A stunning Canadian studio pottery miniature bowl decorated in yellow glazes with an associated pottery stand by Lane Gordon Thorlaksson (Canadian, 1937-2009) dated 1976. Lane Gordon Thorlaksson was born in 1937 in Winnipeg, Manitoba and moved to Vancouver as a child. In his twenties, he represented Canada in the 1959 Chicago Pan-American Games, running alongside Henry 'Harry' Winston Jerome in both the 100 yard and 220-yard dash. Following this, he attended San Jose University of California and in 1966 received a BFA in Ceramics. Working with clay was Thorlaksson’s passion. He was fascinated with Asian ceramics, in particular the Song dynasty Chinese pot forms and glazes. In 1985, the Mayor of Vancouver, Mike Harcourt, visited China on a goodwill mission for the twinning of Vancouver with Guangzhou China. As gifts, he took with him several of Thorlaksson’s ceramics and presented them to Cao Yun-ping, Secretary-General of the People's Municipal Government of Guangzhou. The pieces were well received and local Chinese potters were interested to learn about his glazing techniques. In 1987, Thorlaksson was invited to visit China’s Guangzhou University to exhibit more of his work. He was aided in this exchange by Joanne Mah, the Director of Intercultural Training and Educational Consultants (ITEC), who had worked with the Harcourt exchange. In 1988, she and her husband sponsored a pre-gallery showing of Thorlaksson’s ceramics at the ITEC’s Hong Kong office, prior to an exhibition at Alvin Gallery in Hong Kong. Thorlaksson was celebrated and introduced to academics and the media, including the head of ceramics at the Guangzhou Institute of Fine Arts. Local Chinese potters were eager to learn about his firing techniques, which used multiple firings to create special glaze characteristics. They were also intrigued to understand how he designed his own stands as an integrated part of his presentation. Unlike Asian potters who used wooden stands, Thorlaksson produced his stands in clay, matching each stand in aesthetic and tone to its pot. This two-part process elevated his pieces to sculpture. He believed that ceramics should be viewed as fine art and not craft. He was inspired by the female form and was quoted as saying 'Most potters make pots; I make parts of people'. The bowl is of wide squat rounded form with a fold over rim and is decorated in pale yellow glazes over a brown ground and stands on a narrow round unglazed foot. The design is probably based and inspired by a Chinese brush washer...
    Category

    Vintage 1970s Canadian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls

    Materials

    Pottery

  • David Leach Feather Design Grey Glazed Studio Pottery Bowl
    By David Leach
    Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
    A large and stylish studio pottery bowl decorated with an abstract feather patterned design in a grey powdered glaze by David Leach (1911-2005) and probably dating from his early day...
    Category

    Vintage 1960s English Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls

    Materials

    Pottery

  • Bob Fierek Cornish Studio Pottery Bowl with Barnacles
    Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
    An impressive Cornish studio pottery bowl applied with barnacle designs by Bob Fierek and dating from the latter 20th century. The bowl is of wide rounded form standing on a narrow r...
    Category

    20th Century English Modern Decorative Bowls

    Materials

    Stoneware

  • Simon Moore Studio Hand Made Pottery White Bowl
    By Simon Moore
    Located in North Hollywood, CA
    Simon Moore studio hand made ceramic, pottery bowl, free form. White color, signed. Japanese style, very delicate and light.
    Category

    Late 20th Century Unknown Organic Modern Decorative Bowls

    Materials

    Ceramic, Pottery

  • Eric James Mellon Studio Pottery Bowl Painted with Nude
    By Eric James Mellon 1
    Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
    A unique hand painted British studio pottery bowl decorated with a nude by Eric James Mellon and dated 2002. The porcelain bowl stands on a narrow rounded foot and is decorated in as...
    Category

    Early 2000s English Modern Ceramics

    Materials

    Porcelain

Recently Viewed

View All