EXQUISITE VINTAGE ITALIAN MID CENTURY MODERN ART CERAMIC AND LEATHER VASES BY RENOWNED ITALIAN SCULPTOR/ DESIGNER MARCELLO FANTONI. (Italian 1915-2001). THIS REMARKABLE WORK SHOWCASES FANTONI'S SIGNATURE BLEND OF SCULPTURAL CERAMIC FORM AND HAND-APPLIED LEATHER, A DISTINCTIVE TECHNIQUE THAT DEFINES THE BOLD INNOVATION OF POSTWAR ITALIAN ART.

EACH VASE FEATURES A BEAUTIFULLY RENDERED CUBIST-INSPIRED FEMALE FIGURE, EXECUTED IN FANTONI’S RECOGNIZABLE SGRAFFITO STYLE — WHERE LINES ARE SCRATCHED INTO THE SURFACE TO REVEAL DEPTH, MOVEMENT, AND ARTISTIC EXPRESSION. THE RICH, EARTH-TONED LEATHER WRAPPING ADDS A LUXURIOUS, TACTILE DIMENSION — BLENDING MATERIALS IN A WAY THAT FEW CERAMICISTS DARED, ELEVATING THESE PIECES FROM DECORATIVE OBJECTS TO A WORK OF SCULPTURAL ART. SIMPLY AMAZING. THESE PIECES DATE BACK TO THE 1950s. GOOD OVERALL CONDITION. MILD WEAR FROM AGE AND USE.

DIMENSIONS: 10.5”H x 4”W

Marcello Fantoni was born in Florence, Italy, in 1915, a city that was one of the great cultural capitals of European art. He entered the prestigious Instituto d’Arte Porta Romana at just 12 years old, where he trained under leading Italian sculptors and designers.

Marcello Fantoni was a Florentine artist who specialized in ceramics. He studied at the Art Institute in Florence, where Libero Andreotti and Bruno Innocenti were his sculpture professors, and Gianni Vagnetti was his professor of figurative art—graduated as a “maestro” in 1934. Founded his own studio shortly after, marking the beginning of a long and influential career. From the start, Fantoni was positioned not just as a craftsman, but as a serious artist working at the intersection of sculpture and design

Fantoni began working as a ceramist in 1934 and opened his factory in 1936. After the Second World War, he became very successful, and his works are held in some of the world's most important museums. With a vast career in the arts showcasing his talent in sculpture, ceramics, metalwork, multi-media and even designer, Marcello Fantoni's work was exhibited in the MoMA New York; Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York; Brooklyn Museum; Museum of Fine Art of Boston; Victoria and Albert Museum of London; Royal Scottish Museum of Edinburg; Museums of Modern Art of Tokyo and Kyoto; International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza; National Bargello Museum; and Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe of the Uffizi in Florence.

LEGACY & INSTITUTIONAL RECOGNITION

• Works held in important museums and private collections worldwide

• Regarded as one of the most important 20th-century Italian ceramicists

• His techniques and designs helped define the mid-century modern ceramic movement

Fantoni didn’t just follow trends — he created them.