Bisque Porcelain Vase Duo "Cascade" - Martin Freyer for Rosenthal, 1981

Rosenthal vase duo by Martin Freyer, made in Germany in the 1980s from matte white bisque porcelain with flowing wave-like relief surfaces. The taller vase has a broad, softly rectangular body, while the slimmer vase has a narrower cylindrical form; together they create a clean rhythm of scale, texture and vertical movement.

• Dimensions:
  
  • Large vase: H 33 cm, W 19,5 cm, D 11,5 cm
    
  • Small vase: H 30 cm, W 9.5 cm, D 9.5 cm
• Material: Bisque porcelain
  
• Brand: Rosenthal
  
• Designer: Martin Freyer
  
• Color: Matte white
  
• Condition: Very good vintage condition: No chips, cracks or repairs visible. Matte porcelain surface well preserved, with minimal signs of age and handling.
  
• Era: 1981
  
• Origin: Germany
  
• Remarks: Duo from Cascade series

This duo works best on a sideboard, console or open shelf where the relief can catch soft side light. Style them empty for a calm monochrome composition, or use a few long grasses or single stems in only one vase.

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.