Bisque Porcelain Vase Trio – Rosenthal & Hutschenreuther, 1960s–1970s

Impressive mid-century trio of white bisque porcelain vases by Martin Freyer, Rosemonde Nairac (on Tapio Wirkkala form) and Heinrich Fuchs, each with its own Op-Art that turns light and shadow into a quiet graphic play. Together they show three key voices of  German porcelain design: Freyer’s optical geometry, Nairac’s poetic “Tree of Life” motif and Fuchs’ modernist, “Archais” texture.

• Dimensions:
  • Martin Freyer vase: H 24 cm, W 18 cm, D 11 cm 
  • Rosemonde Nairac “Tree of Life” vase: H 22 cm
  • Heinrich Fuchs “Archais” vase: H 30 cm
• Material: Bisque porcelain (unglazed, matte)
• Brand: Rosenthal; Lorenz Hutschenreuther
• Designer: Martin Freyer; Rosemonde Nairac (on Tapio Wirkkala shape); Heinrich Fuchs
• Color: White
• Condition: Excellent vintage condition; no chips, cracks or restorations, light signs of age only
• Era: 1960s–1970s
• Origin: Germany
• Remarks: sold as a curated trio of three designer vases

For collectors of German mid-century porcelain and design-led interiors; ideal as a statement group on a sideboard, console or shelf.

Rosemonde Nairac (b. 1938, Mauritius) is a designer and ceramic artist trained at London’s Royal College of Art who became one of Rosenthal studio-line’s most distinctive décor authors from the late 1960s onward. Her work is characterised by finely calibrated, textile-like geometries in soft pastels and metallic highlights, developed in close dialogue with the underlying form rather than as mere surface ornament. For Rosenthal she created multiple service and giftware décors, including the Silhouette forms with the Kelim pattern (designed 1985), a series of inverted U-shaped vases and boxes in white porcelain with pastel zigzags and gold that were produced at Rosenthal’s Selb factory between 1986 and 1988 and are now represented in major design collections such as the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

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.

Heinrich Fuchs (1928–2013) was one of the most visionary designers of mid-century German porcelain, best known for his Op-Art inspired work for Hutschenreuther. From 1965–1970 he created a radically new aesthetic for the manufactory, replacing Rococo florals with abstraction, minimalism and experimental relief surfaces. His celebrated Calabash and Archais series (15 different vases) explore repetitive geometric and nature-inspired textures – from bark to seashell structures – in matte or clear-glazed white, and are now highly sought-after collector pieces.

Hutschenreuther is a historic German porcelain brand whose roots go back to 1814, when Carolus Magnus Hutschenreuther founded a porcelain factory in Hohenberg an der Eger. His son Lorenz established a separate porcelain factory in Selb in 1857, which grew into Lorenz Hutschenreuther AG, acquiring several other factories. In 1969 the two branches merged as Hutschenreuther AG; since 2000 the Hutschenreuther brand has belonged to Rosenthal and today continues as part of the Sambonet Paderno / Arcturus group.