Plissé Matte White Porcelain Vase - Martin Freyer for Rosenthal, late 20th century

Large Plissé vase in matte white porcelain with deep flowing pleats that catch light with quiet precision. The folded surface gives the form softness and rhythm, while the generous scale makes it striking even when left unfilled.

• Dimensions: H 26 cm, Dia. 30 cm
• Material: Matte porcelain
  
• Brand: Rosenthal Studio Line
  
• Designer: Martin Freyer
  
• Color: White
  
• Era: Designed 1968, produced 1994
  
• Origin: Germany
  
• Condition: Very good vintage condition; no chips, cracks, or restorations. Minimal age-appropriate handling traces.
  
• Remarks: Model 3027/26

This Plissé vase brings a softer kind of statement to an interior. The porcelain folds echo draped fabric, which makes it especially effective in calm, layered spaces — on a travertine pedestal, a pale oak sideboard, or a linen-dressed dining table. Beautiful in minimalist, gallery-like rooms, but equally convincing where you want one strong white form to lighten darker wood or richer tones.

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.