Contrasting Black Porcelain Duo – Wolf Karnagel & Sami Wirkkala for Rosenthal, 1980s–1990s

Black porcelain vase duo by Wolf Karnagel and Sami Wirkkala for Rosenthal, pairing a faceted angular form with a softer stacked silhouette. The mix of matte and glossy surfaces, crisp geometry, and rounded volume gives the set a clear late-20th-century Studio-Line look with a clean, sculptural presence.

• Dimensions:
  
  • Karnagel Vase: H 22 cm, Dia. 17 cm
    
  • Wirkkala Vase: H 17.5 cm, W 18 cm, D 11 cm
• Material: Porcelain
  
• Brand: Rosenthal
  
• Designer: Wolf Karnagel; Sami Wirkkala
  
• Color: Black
  
• Condition: Very good vintage condition; no chips or cracks visible; minimal signs of age and handling consistent with vintage porcelain
  
• Era: 1980s–1990s
  
• Origin: Germany
  
• Remarks: Set of two; 22 cm vase of Karnagel marked as second selection

Style them against warm white, soft greige, or concrete-grey walls, where the black porcelain can read clearly without disappearing. They work especially well with walnut, smoked glass, chrome, or brushed steel, and look best with almost no color around them - at most one deep burgundy, plum, or dark green stem, or simply left empty.

Wolf Karnagel (born 1940) is a German designer and artist best known for his long collaboration with Rosenthal, beginning in the 1960s, where he created objects defined by clear form and a modern sensibility. Rosenthal Studio-Line is the design-focused branch of the German manufacturer, known for working with important international designers on modern porcelain and interior objects.

Sami Wirkkala (born 1948) is a Finnish interior and industrial designer who developed his work within the Nordic modern tradition while establishing a quieter, more reduced language of his own. For Rosenthal, where he worked from 1978, he created porcelain objects defined by disciplined geometry, soft curvature, and minimal ornamentation, translating Scandinavian restraint into refined German-made Studio-Line 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.