Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
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
- Emerged during the mid-20th century
- Informed by European modernism, Bauhaus, International style, Scandinavian modernism and Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture
- A heyday of innovation in postwar America
- Experimentation with new ideas, new materials and new forms flourished in Scandinavia, Italy, the former Czechoslovakia and elsewhere in Europe
CHARACTERISTICS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
- Simplicity, organic forms, clean lines
- A blend of neutral and bold Pop art colors
- Use of natural and man-made materials — alluring woods such as teak, rosewood and oak; steel, fiberglass and molded plywood
- Light-filled spaces with colorful upholstery
- Glass walls and an emphasis on the outdoors
- Promotion of functionality
MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
- Charles and Ray Eames
- Eero Saarinen
- Milo Baughman
- Florence Knoll
- Harry Bertoia
- Isamu Noguchi
- George Nelson
- Danish modernists Hans Wegner and Arne Jacobsen, whose emphasis on natural materials and craftsmanship influenced American designers and vice versa
ICONIC MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNS
- Eames lounge chair
- Nelson daybed
- Florence Knoll sofa
- Egg chair
- Womb chair
- Noguchi coffee table
- Barcelona chair
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
Madonna della neve Elena Scavini, Lenci Torino 1930s Italy
Located in Autonomous City Buenos Aires, CABA
Antique Lenci Ceramic Madonna of the Snows by Elena Scavini.
Italy Torino, circa 1930
Category
1930s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Polia Pillin Signed Mid-Century Modern California Studio Pottery Yunomi Tea Cup
Located in Studio City, CA
A wonderful, whimsical diminutive Yunomi tea cup by famed Polish-American master potter/artist Polia Pillin featuring a deep, rich cobalt blue glaze with streaks of green swirling ar...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic, Pottery
Retro Vintage Wall Decoration with Glazed Tiles. Image of a Sailboat Hardbor
By Vallauris AM
Located in Tilburg, NL
Retro vintage Vallauris La Grange wall plate / tile tableau
Retro vintage wall plate / tile tableau / wall decoration with glazed tiles.
Vallaur...
Category
1960s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Enamel
Very Large Retro Vintage West Germany Scheurich Fat Lava Vase / Floor Vase / Ear
Located in Tilburg, NL
Very large retro vintage West Germany Scheurich Fat Lava vase / floor vase / ear vase
Retro vintage West Germany Heinz Siery Scheurich floor vase...
Category
1950s German Vintage Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Modernist Vintage Ceramic Vase, Italy 1960's.
By Bitossi
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Modernist Vintage ceramic vase, Italy 1960's.
Beautiful Bitossi style etched vase.
Handcrafted Modernist Minimalist vintage Mid Century Modern studio pottery ceramic Vase in brown ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
William Wyman Signed Massachusetts Midcentury Herring Run Studio Pottery Bowl
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
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Stoneware
Stan Bitters Signed Large Mid-Century Modern Ceramic Pottery Haniwa Sculpture
By Stan Bitters
Located in Studio City, CA
A wonderful, unique, beautifully glazed, quite rare, and special double-faced "Haniwa" pottery sculpture by American California studio pottery master ceramists Stan Bitters whose work was instrumental in shaping the organic modernist movement in the 1960s.
Bitters received his Bachelor of Arts degree in painting from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1958.
He also studied under Peter Voulkos at Otis College. After graduating, he worked for Hans Sumpf as the company's resident artist. During this time he created architectural murals, tiles, birdhouses, planters, and sculptural objects – designs that would earn him recognition later on as a pioneer of the organic modernist craft movement - many still some of the most iconic designs today.
Stan Bitters' work was featured as a part of the prestigious California Design series of exhibitions and annuals that chronicled art and design in California from 1954-1976. His works were also featured as part of a group show entitled Golden State of Craft 1960-1985 at the Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles, CA. This show was part of Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945-1980, an unprecedented collaboration of more than 60 museums and other cultural institutions in Southern California, celebrating the birth of the Los Angeles art scene. Bitters' work was also exhibited at Heath Ceramics' Boiler Room...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Clay, Pottery
Laura Andreson Signed Glazed Mid-Century Modern California Studio Pottery Bowl
Located in Studio City, CA
A wonderfully crafted and beautifully glazed bowl by renowned American California master potter Laura Andreson. This bowl features a deep, mesmerizing, rich purple/blue glaze. Gorgeo...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Earthenware
Traditional Spanish Brass Trumpet, circa 1960
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Traditional Spanish brass trumpet.
Manufactured in Spain by unknown manufacturer, circa 1960.
In original condition, with minor wear consistent of age and use, preserving a bea...
Category
1960s Spanish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Brass
Round Ceramic Brown Unusual Studio Pottery Vase, Signed
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
Glazed in an almost metallic-looking paint, this petite round vase will be fabulous on a nightstand, bookshelf, or side table. Studio Pottery is a...
Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic, Paint
Vintage Bell Shaped Ceramic Pendant, Denmark, 1970s
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Unique handmade ceramic pendant with hand-carved incised organic decorations. Bell shaped body with perforations on the lower and top part for the light to shine through. Glazed with...
Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic, Pottery, Stoneware
20th Century Design Stoneware Ceramic Tea Pot by Montreau Lohoof 1970 La Borne
Located in Neuilly-en- sancerre, FR
Montreau Lohoof
Realised in La Borne circa 1970
Original large stoneware ceramic tea pot
Signed under the base : ML
Original good conditions
Measures: height 11 cm
L...
Category
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Laura Andreson Signed Glazed Mid-Century Modern California Studio Pottery Bowl
Located in Studio City, CA
A wonderfully crafted and beautifully glazed bowl by renowned American California master potter Laura Andreson. An uncommon form for Andreson with a high gloss glaze featuring a dark ocean deep blue / aqua color with delicate splashes of greens. Gorgeous in its Mid-Century Modern design.
Signed on the base by Andreson (and stamped).
A special and scarce work. Would be a great addition to any midcentury ceramics/ pottery collection or a very eye-catching stand-alone accent work in about any setting. This piece has a fantastic feel and heft to it.
Andreson, who studied under Glen Lukens, founded and headed the ceramics department at UCLA from 1933 to 1970. Her work can be found in many collections and museums worldwide including:
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Smithsonian Museum of American Art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Walker Art Center
The Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art.
Her exhibitions include:
1937 Rene Rosenthal Gallery, New York City, New York
1938 First California Ceramic Exhibition, San Diego, California
1940 Honolulu Academy of Art
1947 Eleventh National Ceramics Exhibition, Metropolitan Museum of Art
1970 Fredric Art Gallery, UCLA, Los Angeles, California
1970 Laguna Beach Art Gallery
1971 Mills College Art Gallery, Oakland, California
1971 Hoover Art Gallery, San Francisco, California
1971 San Diego Fine Arts Gallery, San Diego, California
1971 Utah State University, Logan, Utah
1972 Pasadena Art Museum, Pasadena, California
1972 Ceramics West, Utah State University, Logan, Utah
1972 Ogden Art Center, Ogden, Utah
1972 Bower Museum, Santa Ana, California
1973 Utah Museum of Fine Art, Salt Lake City, Utah
1973 Clay and Fiber Gallery, Taos, New Mexico
1973 California Crafts VIII, Crocker Art Gallery, Sacramento, California
1974 California Ceramics...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Earthenware
Dora De Larios Signed Mid-Century Modern California Studio Pottery Large Vase
Located in Studio City, CA
A gorgeous, rare, and unique large stoneware vase by famed Mexican American California studio art potter Dora De Larios.
De Larios was born in Los Angeles to Mexican immigrant parents. She grew up in the artistic Silver Lake district near downtown Los Angeles amongst Mexican and Nisei Japanese immigrants. As a result, De Larios was heavily influenced by ancient American...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Stoneware
Janet Leach Signed British Studio Pottery Japanese Chawan Tea Bowl with Box 1971
Located in Studio City, CA
A wonderfully designed and glazed Japanese Mingei style Chawan tea ceremony bowl with ears by esteemed American born/ British potter Janet Leach, wife of f...
Category
1970s British Vintage Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Pottery, Stoneware
Paul Soldner Large Raku Fired Mid-Century Modern Vessel Wall Relief Sculpture
By Paul Soldner
Located in Studio City, CA
An amazing and unique piece by renowned American pottery and ceramic master Paul Soldner who in the 1950s was Peter Voulkos' first student and who later became famed for developing the technique now known as "American Raku...
Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Earthenware
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
Floral Tree of Life Ceramic Art Wall Decoration, 1960s
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Highly decorative artisanal folk art Mexican tree of life inspired ceramic wall decoration. Shiny mustard ochre colored organic plant shaped base ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic, Pottery, Stoneware
Traditional Spanish Ceramic Trumpet, circa 1960
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Traditional Spanish rustic ceramic trumpet.
Manufactured in Spain by unknown manufacturer, circa 1960.
In original condition, with minor wear consistent of age and use, preserv...
Category
1960s Spanish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Glen Lukens Signed Early Midcentury Glazed California Pottery Weed Pot Vase
By Glen Lukens
Located in Studio City, CA
A very rare early work featuring a dark chocolate brown glaze by master Mid-Century Modern ceramist/potter Glen Lukens whose work has become quite collectible and relatively scarce and difficult to find.
The work is signed and dated (1924) by Lukens on the underside (we have only seen one other piece dated this early and that piece is in the Forrest Merrill Collection).
Lukens was the founder of the University of Southern California (USC) Architectural School’s Ceramics Department where he helped establish and promote clay pottery as a universally acceptable art form. The current popularity of Studio Pottery and ceramics is widely accepted to have started with Lukens who is oft credited with being one of the first artists to raise the stature of Mid-Century Modern Studio Pottery within the art world.
Lukens is famed for his experiments with various glazes and glazing techniques. His influence and glazes can be clearly seen in the works of Otto and Gertrud Natzler, Beatrice Wood, James Lovera, etc. He was also known for combining bright, colorful textile glazes (using natural, organic materials and elements he found in the Mojave Desert, Palm Springs, and Death Valley to make what he referred to as "California Colors") with the rough and raw clay surfaces of his often rudimentary forms and vessels.
Lukens currently has an award in his name (Glen Lukens Award) at the University of Southern California's School of fine Arts.
A very rare, unique, and truly special work This piece would be a tremendous stand-out addition to any collectors of Lukens' work or Mid-Century Modern ceramics collection or eye-catching accent piece in about any setting, modern or otherwise. A must-have.
Lukens work can be found in various museum collections including:
Arizona State University Art Museum, Tempe, Arizona
Huntington Library...
Category
1920s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Earthenware, Pottery
Unicorn by Dominique Pouchain
Located in Lasne, BE
Ceramic in the shape of a unicorn by Dominique Pouchain.
Category
1990s French Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Owl Ceramic by Dominique Pouchain
Located in Lasne, BE
Ceramics in the shape of a owl stamped Dominique Pouchain.
Category
1990s French Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Paul Ami Bonifas Signed Large Early Midcentury Swiss Studio Pottery Art Bowl
By Paul Bonifas
Located in Studio City, CA
A truly gorgeous and wonderfully crafted large art bowl by Swiss American sculptor/artist/ceramicist Paul Ami Bonifas (1893-1967). The glaze on this par...
Category
1930s Swiss Vintage Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Stoneware
Swedish Floral Organic Modern Ceramic Wall Plate / Centerpiece, 1950s
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Vintage handmade fully glazed Swedich midcentury modern wall platter / centrepiece with organic, floral decor depicting a gazelle with a direct gaze surrounded by vegetation in brown, ochre, green, white and bright pink colors on a striped dark blue background created with the experimental sgraffito technique that Tilgmans became famous for. Designed and handpainted in the late 1950s by Eivor Lang and manufactured by German/Finnish Paul Harald Tilgman in his workshop in the small town of Kortedala close to Gothenburg, Sweden. Milky white glaze on the base and sides with curved, muted green decor framing the image along the edge. Three holes for hanging - two in use with metal wire. Signed under base. An handpainted piece in beautiful condition.
Paul Harald “Harry” Tilgmann was born in Dresden, Germany in 1904 and emigrated to Sweden during WWII where he started Tilgmans Keramik (= Ceramics) in 1948 in the small town of Utbynäs close to Gothenburg. Tilgman had 16 employees working for him and when he hired the Polish refugee Marian Zawadzki (1912-1978) as artistic director in 1953, Tilgman Keramik started experimenting with the distinct sgraffito technique. The sgraffito technique consists of carving fine lines into the background of a design through a light colored glaze down to a dark grey clay slip. This created a unique textured ground which has become a style associated with Tilgmans Keramik in particular. The decorative elements also appear to be outlined with a carved line and then hand painted with overglazes where birds, fish, flowers, butterflies and other animals were a common theme. This type of work was the most popular in midcentury Sweden alongside Tilgmans small animal figurines...
Category
1950s Swedish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic, Stoneware, Pottery
Pair of Mashiko Yaki Japanese Mid-Century Studio Pottery Yunomi
Located in Norton, MA
A very stylish Japanese Mashiko Yaki studio pottery Yunomi with stylized designs in panels set within a brown glazed body in the manner of Shoji Hamada an...
Category
1950s Japanese Vintage Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Stoneware
Rupert Deese Signed Mid-Century Modern California Studio Pottery Pedestal Bowl
Located in Studio City, CA
A gorgeously crafted, beautifully yellow glazed, Mid-Century Modern pedestal bowl by California master ceramist Rupert Deese who worked closely with pottery legend Harrison Mcintosh.
Signed with Deese's cipher/ stamp on the base as well as the original label.
Would be a great addition to any collectors of Deese's work or Mid-Century Modern ceramics/pottery collection or a very eye-catching stand-alone accent piece in about any setting.
Deese's work can be found in numerous collections and museums including:
Museum of fine Arts, Boston, Boston
Everson Museum, Syracuse, New York
Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle
Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, California
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles
Maloof Foundation, Alta Loma, California
Millard Sheets Collection, Gualala, California
Mingei International Museum, San Diego
Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, Logan, Utah
Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
Richard & Alice Petterson Museum, Claremont, California
Roger Corsaw...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic, Pottery
Royal Copenhagen Danish Stamped Signed Porcelain Fighting Polar Bears Model 2317
Located in Studio City, CA
A wonderfully designed and colored figurine of two playful fighting/wresting polar bears by Danish Royal Copenhagen.
Stamped, numbered (2317), and signed ("OP") on the base.
W...
Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
Beatrice Wood Signed Monumental Midcentury Queen Elizabeth Pottery Charger
Located in Studio City, CA
An extremely rare and wonderfully hand-painted monumentally large charger featuring a portrait of Queen Elizabeth - a quite unique and bold work by famed American/ California studio ...
Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Earthenware
Large 20th Century Design Stoneware Ceramic Pitcher by Alain Magne La Borne
Located in Neuilly-en- sancerre, FR
Alain Magne
Large XXL stoneware ceramic pitcher
Signed by Alain Magne
Circa 1970
original perfect condition
height 35 cm
Large 33 cm.
Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Antique Mexican Pitcher in Frog Shape
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Circa 1970. We offer this Antique Mexican Pitcher in Frog Shape attributed at Gorky Gonzalez, made in ceramic and hand painted.
About Gorky Gonzalez:
Founder and artistic director of Traditional Pottery began his studies with his father, the Mexican sculptor...
Category
1970s North American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Winchcombe Studio Pottery Slip Ware Baking Dish
By Michael Cardew
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A fine vintage Winchcombe press-molded baking dish decorated with trailed slip designs attributable to Michael Cardew (British, 1901-1983) and probably ...
Category
1930s English Vintage Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Terracotta
Bernard Howell Leach Studio Pottery Vase with Stylized Patterning
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
An exceptional English studio pottery vase decorated with stylized patterning by renowned British potter Bernard Howell Leach (British, 1887-197...
Category
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Stoneware
Colored blue and red stoneware ceramic pitcher circa 1990 signed Maya
Located in Neuilly-en- sancerre, FR
Maya
Signed under the base
Colored stoneware ceramic pitcher
Original good condition
Red and blue colors
Height 20 cm
Large 16 cm
Category
Late 20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Rupert Deese Signed Mid-Century Modern California Studio Pottery Ceramic Bowl
Located in Studio City, CA
A gorgeously crafted, beautifully glazed, Mid-Century Modern curved bowl by California master ceramist Rupert Deese who worked closely with pottery legend Harrison Mcintosh.
Signed with Deese's cipher/ stamp on the base.
Would be a great addition to any Mid-Century Modern ceramics and pottery collection or a very eye-catching stand-alone accent piece in about any setting.
Deese's work can be found in numerous collections and museums including:
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston
Everson Museum, Syracuse, New York
Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle
Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, California
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles
Maloof Foundation, Alta Loma, California
Millard Sheets Collection, Gualala, California
Mingei International Museum, San Diego
Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, Logan, Utah
Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
Richard & Alice Petterson Museum, Claremont, California
Roger Corsaw...
Category
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Bull Ceramic by Dominique Pouchain
Located in Lasne, BE
Ceramic statue in the shape of a bull. Stamped Dominique Pouchain.
Category
1990s French Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Mosaic Art "Winter Sun" Signed by Joyce Dittermore
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Mosaic Wall artwork Sculpture Inlaid of colorful squniteuare rocks, colors like blue, gradients of pinks and purples, and blues. There is a sun figure in the middle of the frame with a sad face...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Ceramic Abstract Wall Sculpture Perignem, Belgium
Located in Antwerp, BE
Beautiful colorful ceramic wall sculpture in organic nature details with abstract mushrooms and mosses designed by Paul Vermeire for Perignem,Belgium, 1960s.
Paul Vermeire was a Belgian artist who lived and worked in Ostend. His oeuvre exists out of ceramics, paintings and drawings. He experimented with differed materials and techniques. At the back of the multicolored sculpture...
Category
1960s Belgian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
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
1970s Canadian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Pottery
Brown Stoneware Ceramic Pitcher by Benoit Favre La Borne circa 1970
Located in Neuilly-en- sancerre, FR
Benoit Favre
Unique handmade piece
Brown stoneware ceramic pitcher
Signed at the base
Measures: Height 17 cm
Large 12 cm.
Category
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Pair of 1960's Vintage Mexican Folk Art Terracotta Head Face Planter Plant Pots
Located in GB
We are delighted to offer for sale this rare and collectable pair of Mexican circa 1960’s hand painted terracotta larger planter pots
A very good...
Category
1960s Vintage Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Terracotta
Raul Coronel Signed Mid-Century Modern Large Heavy Ceramic Pottery Bowl, 1960s
By Raul Coronel
Located in Studio City, CA
A wonderfully made and colored heavy bowl by Mexican born ceramic master Raul Coronel who played an important role in the American (he became a naturalized ...
Category
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Earthenware
Goat Ceramic by Dominique Pouchain
Located in Lasne, BE
Ceramics in the shape of a goat stamped Dominique Pouchain.
Category
1990s French Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Urn Designed by Gunnar Nylund for Rörstrand, Sweden, 1936
Located in Stockholm, SE
Urn designed by Gunnar Nylund for Rörstrand,
Sweden, 1936.
Stoneware.
Signed.
Dimensions:
H: 78.5 cm / 2' 7''
D: 53 cm / 21''
Exhibitions: In Paris 1937 at the World's Fair, Gunn...
Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Stoneware
Goat Ceramic by Dominique Pouchain
Located in Lasne, BE
Ceramics in the shape of a goat stamped Dominique Pouchain.
Category
1990s French Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Americana Studio Pottery Ceramic Bud Vase in White and Orange Brown, Signed
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
A pretty one-of-a-kind Americana Revival petite ceramic hand-made studio pottery vase. Created from ceramic, this vase reminds of stoneware and is round in form. The top of the piece...
Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic, Paint
Jacques Migeon Grey Stoneware Ceramic Tea Pot La Borne 1970 Design Unique Piece
Located in Neuilly-en- sancerre, FR
Jacques Migeon - La Borne
20th grey stoneware ceramic tea pot
Unique handmade piece
French mid century design
Signed under the base
Original perfect condition
Heigh...
Category
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Mid-Century Modern Pair of Ceramic Birds with Beautiful Glaze Signed KW 9723
Located in Doornspijk, NL
Very tasty duo of mid-century modern birds in a stylized shape and wonderful glaze pattern.
The downward looking animal has a cheerful flower pattern on both wings. The upward looki...
Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Pablo Picasso Signed Madoura Ceramic Tile Plaque 'Tête Polychrome' Ramié 455
Located in Studio City, CA
A wonderful, original hand painted ceramic tile plaque by famed artist Pablo Picasso titled "Tete Polychrome". The work features an abstract face w...
Category
1960s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic, Earthenware, Pottery
Large Stoneware Ceramic Animal Rabbit Decorative Box by Claude Gaget La Borne
Located in Neuilly-en- sancerre, FR
Claude Gaget
Large stoneware ceramic decorative box realised in La Borne
original perfect condition
Measures: Height 18 cm
Large 17 cm.
Category
Late 20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
ODK Norwegian Unusual Large Brutalist Lidded Studio Pottery Vessel
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A large and stylish unusual Norwegian brutalist studio pottery lidded vessel in the form of a tea or water pot with makers marks ODK to the base and believed to date from the mid-20t...
Category
Mid-20th Century Norwegian Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Stoneware
Large Rustic XXth Century Design Brown and Grey Ceramic Pitcher Lohoff La Borne
Located in Neuilly-en- sancerre, FR
Lohoff (Montreau Lohoff)
Realised in La Borne circa 1960.
Large stoneware ceramic pitcher.
Unique handmade piece.
Signed under the base.
Original perfect condition.
...
Category
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
20th Century Stoneware Ceramic Box by Claude Gaget La Borne circa 1990 Birds
Located in Neuilly-en- sancerre, FR
Claude Gaget
Unique handmade piece
Large stoneware ceramic box with bird decoration
Brown stoneware ceramic glaze
Original perfect condition
...
Category
Late 20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Ceramic wall goat by Dominique Pouchain
Located in Lasne, BE
Ceramic goat to hang on the wall. Stamped Dominique Pouchain.
5 items, possibility to buy per item.
Category
1990s French Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Doyle Lane Mid-Century Modern Rare Colored Glass Ceramic Pottery Square Form
By Doyle Lane
Located in Studio City, CA
A rare, beautifully designed glass or ceramic form by famed midcentury American artist or potter Doyle Lane. Lane was a glaze specialist much like Glen Lukens and Otto Natzler. His colorful glazes would melt, bubble and crack over his pieces creating a very tactile look and feel. His work ranged from beaded necklaces and pendants to small, delicate vases or weed pots to ceramic sculptures, clay paintings, and large scale wall mosaics (including his most well-known work - an 18-foot mosaic or mural known as the orange wall which was commissioned by architect Welton Becket...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Eric Leaper Newlyn Studio Pottery Orange Glazed Tray or Shallow Dish
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A stylish studio pottery tray or shallow dish decorated in bright orange glazes by Eric Leaper, Newlyn and dating from around 1960. The pottery tray is of ...
Category
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Pottery
Antique Mediterranean Ceramic, circa s.XIX
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Antique Mediterranean Ceramic, Spain circa s.XIX.
In original condition, wear consistent with age and use, preserving a beautiful patina.
Materials:
Ceramic
Dimensions:
ø ...
Category
19th Century Spanish Antique Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Peter Voulkos Signed Mid-Century Modern Stoneware Pottery Vase, circa 1950s
Located in Studio City, CA
A fantastic early work (circa early 1950s) by Master Greek-American potter Peter Voulkos.
Signed on base with incised signature by Voulkos.
Voulkos is widely considered to be the most important and impactful ceramists of the modern era. He won the Rodin Museum prize at the first Paris Biennale in 1959 and was the winner of a Guggenheim fellowship in 1984. Voulkos received the College Art Association’s Distinguished Artist Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1997. He was made an honorary member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 2001. He also received six honorary.
Doctorate degrees as well as three National Endowment for the Arts awards.
His work can be found in many prominent collections and museums including:
Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum, Nagoya, Japan
Albany Mall, Albany, New York
American Museum of Ceramic Art...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Stoneware
Eugene Deutch Signed Mid-Century Modern Studio Pottery Ceramic Vase, 1950
Located in Studio City, CA
Wonderful work my well-known Hungarian-born, Midwest potter Eugene Deutch.
This magnificently glazed vase/ vessel features a dark, rich glaze that drips freely down the inside of the work.
Signed and dated (1950) on the underside.
Would make for a great addition to any midcentury pottery collection or eye-catching Stand-alone work in about any setting.
Deutch's work is held in many private collections and museums and he was exhibited in solo shows at the Dallas Museum of Art...
Category
1950s North American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Mid-century Modern ceramics for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Mid-Century Modern ceramics 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 ceramics created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include folk art, decorative objects, serveware, ceramics, silver and glass and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with ceramic, pottery and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Mid-Century Modern ceramics 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 ceramics, popular names associated with this style include La Borne Potters, Beatrice Wood, Gertrud and Otto Natzler, and Laura Andreson. 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 ceramics differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $41 and tops out at $25,000 while the average work can sell for $1,053.
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