Textured Porcelain Noir Trio – Martin Freyer, Elsa Fischer-Treyden & Margret Hildebrand for Rosenthal, 1980s–1990s

Black porcelain vase trio by Rosenthal, bringing together three distinct forms by Martin Freyer and Elsa Fischer-Treyden / Margret Hildebrand. The group pairs a tall relief-textured column, a compact grid-like form, and a rounded ribbed vase, creating a balanced composition of height, texture, and shadow in a deep black palette.

• Dimensions:
  
  • Freyer Vase 1: H 24.5 cm, W 7 cm, D 7 cm 
    
  • Freyer Vase 2: H 43.5 cm, W 9.5 cm, D 9.5 cm
    
  • Fischer-Treyden & Hildebrand Vase : H 20 cm, Dia. 17.5 cm
• Material: Porcelain
  
• Brand: Rosenthal
  
• Designer: Martin Freyer; Elsa Fischer-Treyden / Margret Hildebrand
  
• Color: Black, anthracite-black
  
• Condition: Very good vintage condition; minimal signs of age; no chips or cracks visible
  
• Era: 1980s–1990s
  
• Origin: Germany
  
• Remarks: Set of three

Group the three on a low sideboard, console, or pedestal where the change in height reads clearly. They work best against pale plaster, dark wood, stone, or brushed metal, with little else nearby—one branch at most—so the ribbing, relief, and black surface stay the focus.

Elsa Fischer-Treyden (1901–1995) was a Russian-born German product designer and one of Rosenthal’s key postwar creators, working for the company from 1952 and shaping its modern design language across porcelain, ceramics, and glass. Best known for the “Fortuna” program (glassware and porcelain) and later the “Favo” ceramic line - and for award-winning glass designs such as “Fuga”- her clear, sculptural forms are represented in major museum collections and remain highly collectible today.

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.

Margret Hildebrand (1917–1997) was a German designer best known for textile design, but her work also extended into interiors and selected design objects. In the Rosenthal context, her name is linked to postwar pieces that share the era’s preference for reduced form, surface clarity, and a more quietly modern decorative language.

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.