AZU Bisque Porcelain Relief Vase – Martin Freyer for Rosenthal, 1970s

Broad, low bottle-shaped vase in matte white bisque porcelain, its deeply modelled relief recalling geological strata and creating a changing rhythm of light and shadow. Designed by German graphic artist and industrial designer Martin Freyer, the AZU vase translates his Op Art vocabulary into a tactile, three-dimensional form.

• Dimensions: H 20 cm, W 19 cm, D 15 cm
  
• Material: Bisque porcelain
  
• Brand: Rosenthal
  
• Designer: Martin Freyer
  
• Color: White
  
• Condition: Excellent vintage condition; no chips, cracks or restorations. Minimal age-related traces.
  
• Era: 1970s
  
• Origin: Germany
  

The low, substantial form works best on a deep shelf, sideboard or console where light can move across the relief from the side. Display it alone beside dark wood or smoked glass, or use the two identical vases at opposite ends of a long surface for a more structured arrangement.

Hans Martin Freyer (1909–1975) was a German painter, graphic and industrial designer whose work ranged from architecture and stage design to textiles and product design. Best known to the wider public as the creator of the refined Volkswagen VW logo in 1938, he later worked as a freelance designer of patterns, structures and reliefs. From 1964 to 1974 he designed for Rosenthal, developing sculptural relief decorations for glass and porcelain in the studio-line – most famously the Plissée vases, whose pleated, fabric-like white or black bisque surfaces remain icons of mid-century and Op-Art influenced German porcelain design.

Rosenthal, founded in 1879 in Selb, Bavaria, is one of Germany’s most important porcelain manufacturers, recognised for combining industrial production with high design standards. With its Studio-Linie programme from the 1960s onwards, Rosenthal invited international artists and designers to create avant-garde forms and décors, making pieces like this set both functional objects and design collectibles.