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“Structures”
are the elements that both define and link the new designs in the Rosenthal studio-line. Be it paper, textile, leather or ribbed structures - the surface becomes the décor, either shaping the character or taking a background role. The porcelain’s pure splendour is visualised in aesthetic terms simply by forgoing the use of colour.
“Papyrus“
Design by Vittorio Passaro
Can unique items be mass-produced? This is a paradox undertaking in itself, as the individual object automatically becomes a standard product when replicated. With his “Papyrus“ design for Rosenthal the Italian designer Vittorio Passaro has found an interesting answer to this supposedly undecidable question.
The “Papyrus“ Collection includes plates, cups, dishes and vases with varying reliefs and structures which can be used in a variety of different ways. The concept is entirely flexible – the little dishes for example, can also be used as tea cups. The structure of the thin, almost transparent porcelain mirrors Vittorio Passaro’s form-finding method: “The porcelain has neither been derived from a drawing nor from a stereolithography. The idea was much more straightforward and the design was inspired by a rolled up stripe of paper and by a gesture which lends the form movement”. As if on a lathe, the paper grows around itself stripe by stripe. The object that emerges is both unusual and individual. “By experimenting with the volume of paper used, I was able to introduce a formal objectiveness into the composition which, in addition to the texture, is actually the product’s distinguishing element.”
Vittorio Passaro has managed to interweave elements of the most differing nature with his design: He masters the balancing act between an individual unique design and the industrial manufacturing process. “Papyrus is characterised by the interplay between a mass-produced element in a factory which ensures the quality of the final product without however, defining the aesthetic parameters too rigidly, and the handmade article – in this case the hand-shaped paper stripes which lend the product its character. Their imperfect appearance, the weight and the paper’s thickness form a structure of independent geometry without any form of manipulation.
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“Structura Ribs”
Design by Elsa Fischer-Treyden (1966)
The vase with a relief design of vertically running ribs and horizontal lines originates from the Rosenthal archives and was first presented in a collection of vases, dishes and jars by Rosenthal in 1966. The bulbous almost oval form of the vases is emphasised by the ribbed structure as well as by the silk-matt surface of the white and black porcelain.
The artist and designer Elsa Fischer-Treyden studied industrial design with Wilhelm Wagenfeld and worked for Rosenthal from 1952 onwards.
The Rosenthal Creative Center has also designed a tea service which picks up on the ribbed structure theme to complement the vases.
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TAC „Skin“,
Design by Rosenthal Creative Center
The classic Rosenthal studio-line series has been given a new graphic décor – not least because of its expressive form – which traces and emphasises the form’s shape. The tea service “TAC01” was designed by the Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius together with “The Architects Collaboration” in 1969. The new décor picks up on the structure theme in an interplay and contrast between matt and shining surfaces. An idea which Walter Gropius had in mind back with his very first designs. A relief is created on the flat items using a sand blasting technique, hollow items such as the teapot are given a silky, matt surface using and etching process. Small overlapping leaves result in a platinum coloured mosaic pattern that extends both over the entire surface of the plates as well as only emphasising the form as a contour on the edges.
Cutlery “Tactile“,
Design by: Sambonet for Rosenthal
Inspired by simple geometric shapes such as a triangle and a semicircle, “Tactile” impresses with its purist, modern form language in the best Bauhaus tradition. The oval spoon bowls are governed by the triangular form, the contour of the handles forms a semicircular arch. The form that starts so powerfully tails out with slim ends, the fold along the length of the handles lends them stability while they lie well in the hand. The slender spoons, forks and knives are both nobly elegant and at the same time objectively plain.
Vases “Opening”
Design by the designer-duo “Little Wonder” (Gyungju Chyon + John Stanislav Sadar)
Nature often dictates the most beautiful shapes: As is the case with the vases created by the designer duo “Little Wonder“, which are reminiscent of cracked eggshells. Asian influences and highly polished craftsmanship characterise the “Opening” vases – beautiful in themselves even without flowers. In 2010 Rosenthal presents this successful vase collection in black porcelain for the first time.
At a first glance the vases seem familiar, yet unusual. The shape is initially reminiscent of typical ceramic forms, as created by the Minoers, for example. The remarkable neck breaks with tradition and forces the viewer to see the vases in a new light. |
