Goldfeuer Trio – Helmut Drexler & Rosemonde Nairac for Rosenthal, 1986–1987

Three-piece Rosenthal Studio-Line set in satin porcelain with the distinctive Goldfeuer surface, designed by Helmut Drexler with vase forms developed in collaboration with Rosemonde Nairac. The softly shimmering finish, with its mineral-like gold patterning and restrained matte glow, reflects Rosenthal’s refined late-1980s move from graphic decoration toward more atmospheric, material-led design.

• Dimensions:
  
  • Bowl: H 3 cm, Dia. 14.5 cm
    
  • Vase 1: H 13 cm, W 13 cm, D 3 cm
    
  • Vase 2: H 22 cm, W 13 cm, D 4 cm
• Material: Satin porcelain
  
• Brand: Rosenthal
  
• Designer: Helmut Drexler (decor) & Rosemonde Nairac (form)
  
• Color: Gold, beige, lilac
  
• Condition: Excellent vintage condition
  
• Era: 1986–1987
  
• Origin: Germany
  
• Remarks: Models 2276/14, 3775/14, and 3775/22.

A beautiful set for collectors, but also very effective in everyday interiors. It works especially well on a console, sideboard, or shelf, where the different heights and proportions create a balanced composition.

Helmut Drexler (1927–2016) was a German porcelain painter and designer who rose from apprentice at Rosenthal in Selb to master painter, then head of the decoration department. From the 1970s onwards he developed experimental surface treatments that transformed porcelain with complex metallic and marbled effects; Goldfeuer was one of his breakthrough décors, first shown at Rosenthal’s 8th Artists’ Days in 1985. By etching the glaze, applying gold in varying thicknesses and firing it under a marbling lacquer, Drexler achieved a controlled play of lilac tones and dense gold veins that has never been convincingly imitated, cementing his reputation as a technical and artistic innovator.

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.

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.