Modernist Porcelain Vase Duo - Trude Petri and Konrad Quillmann for KPM Berlin, 1950s–late 1960s

A curated porcelain duo that pairs KPM’s quieter classical modernism with a later, more spatial design language. The contrast between the rounded bottle form and the angular bridge vase gives the pair a clear, intelligent tension.

• Dimensions:
  
  • Tall bottle vase: H 23.5 cm, W 12.5 cm, D 12.5 cm
    
  • Bridge vase: H 13.5 cm, W 14 cm, D 6,5 cm
• Material: Porcelain with cobalt blue underglaze
  
• Brand: KPM Berlin
  
• Designer: Trude Petri and Konrad Quillmann
  
• Color: White, cobalt blue
  
• Era: Postwar modern, 1950s–late 1960s
  
• Origin: Germany
  
• Condition: Very good vintage condition. Minor chip to the base edge of the smaller vase, not distracting in display. No cracks or restorations.
  
• Remarks: Curated duo, not an original matching set; underglaze blue sceptre marks and Reichsapfel mark indicating Scharffeuerfarben. Smaller vase designed by Konrad Quillmann in 1968; blue decor attributed to Luise-Charlotte Koch.

This pair works especially well for interiors that value contrast without visual noise. The taller vase brings calm and proportion, while the smaller bridge form adds a sharper, more graphic note. Beautiful on a long shelf, a walnut sideboard, or a steel-and-glass console where the cobalt blue can pick up other cool accents in the room.

Trude Petri (1906–1998) was one of the key designers of KPM’s modern program. She began working with the manufactory in 1928 and was appointed as a permanent designer in 1929. Her work is closely associated with disciplined proportion, calm vessel forms, and a lasting idea of functional elegance; her Urbino service became one of KPM’s most celebrated 20th-century designs and won the Grand Prix at the Paris World Exhibition in 1937.

Konrad Quillmann (1936–2002) was a German sculptor, ceramic artist, and designer who began designing for KPM in 1967. His porcelain designs introduced a more spatial and object-like approach, moving away from purely classical vessel logic toward forms shaped by frontality, tension, and a distinctly late-1960s modernist sensibility.

KPM Berlin, the Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin, was founded in 1763 under Frederick the Great and remains one of Germany’s defining porcelain manufactories. In the 20th century, especially under the influence of Werkbund and Neue Sachlichkeit ideas, KPM developed a notably reduced and modern design language, pairing technical precision with unusually clear forms.