"Silhouette" Porcelain Vase in Kelim décor – Rosemonde Nairac for Rosenthal, 1980s

Flat round Studio Line vase by Rosemonde Nairac for Rosenthal with the rare pastel “Kelim” decor – a zigzag pattern in pink, lilac, blue and white, all edged in fine gold. Inspired by woven tapestry and Art Deco geometry, the silk-screened overglaze bands run diagonally across both faces, giving the piece a lively textile-like rhythm on a crisp white porcelain body.

• Dimensions: H approx. 17 cm, W 14 cm, D 3,5 cm
• Material: Glazed porcelain with overglaze silk-screen transfer and gold outlines
• Brand: Rosenthal
• Designer: Rosemonde Nairac
• Color: White ground with pastel pink, lilac and light blue “Kelim” pattern, gold detailing
• Condition: Excellent vintage condition; no chips, cracks or repairs
• Era: Design 1985, produced in 1986
• Origin: Germany
  

A perfect accent for a console, shelf or sideboard where its flat profile and textile-inspired pattern can be seen straight on: lean it slightly against a wall next to a small stack of books or a framed print, or place it on a narrow mantel so the pastel zigzags and gold lines read almost like a piece of graphic art in porcelain.

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, 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.