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Unique Sculptural Ceramic Vase – Mid-Century Hand-Painted Italy – Underwater Motif – 1950s –
Unique Sculptural Ceramic Vase – Mid-Century Hand-Painted Italy – Underwater Motif – 1950s –
Unique Sculptural Ceramic Vase – Mid-Century Hand-Painted Italy – Underwater Motif – 1950s –
Unique Sculptural Ceramic Vase – Mid-Century Hand-Painted Italy – Underwater Motif – 1950s –
Unique Sculptural Ceramic Vase – Mid-Century Hand-Painted Italy – Underwater Motif – 1950s –
Unique Sculptural Ceramic Vase – Mid-Century Hand-Painted Italy – Underwater Motif – 1950s –
Unique Sculptural Ceramic Vase – Mid-Century Hand-Painted Italy – Underwater Motif – 1950s –
Unique Sculptural Ceramic Vase – Mid-Century Hand-Painted Italy – Underwater Motif – 1950s –
Unique Sculptural Ceramic Vase – Mid-Century Hand-Painted Italy – Underwater Motif – 1950s –

Unique Sculptural Ceramic Vase – Mid-Century Hand-Painted Italy – Underwater Motif – 1950s –

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Editor’s Pick from Wunder Kammer.


Description & Function

This sculptural, round-bellied ceramic vase features a beautifully hand-painted underwater scene with fish, seaweed, and a jellyfish drifting across an iridescent pastel background. The piece is crowned with a gilded loop-shaped rim – a distinctive mid-century modern flourish that adds elegance and movement. Both object and artwork, this vase serves as a decorative centerpiece in eclectic, modernist, or classic interiors.

Though delicate in appearance, the vase is remarkably heavy for its size (approx. 1247 grams), indicating solid craftsmanship and high-quality ceramic material. It can stand alone or hold a few dry stems or sculptural twigs – best suited as a poetic, contemplative object.


Origin & Production

  • Marked: “P.857/20 Italy” on the base

  • Origin: Possibly Tuscany or Northern Italy

  • Estimated production period: ca. 1950s

  • Likely a studio piece created for export after WWII, in line with mid-century Italian decorative arts

  • Influences: Bitossi, Fantoni, and other artistic ceramic ateliers of the post-war era


Material & Finish

  • Hand-painted, glazed ceramic with pastel hues and gilded ornamentation

  • Light natural craquelure in glaze, typical for ceramics of this age

  • Thick glaze finish, soft shine

  • Base shows handmade character; brush signature suggests small studio origin


Dimensions & Weight

  • Height: approx. 20 cm

  • Diameter (widest): approx. 22 cm

  • Weight: approx. 1247 grams

  • Opening: small, ideal for minimal stems


Condition

Very good vintage condition. No cracks or structural damage.
Minor wear on the base from age and standing use. Gilded rim intact.
A few glaze irregularities and tiny bubbles consistent with studio production.
Elegant natural craquelure adds character and authenticity.


Shipping Info

  • Ships from Italy

  • Professionally packed in double cardboard with bubble wrap

  • Shipping to NL from €13 via Poste Italiane (with tracking)

  • Express shipping via DHL or UPS available on request


Unique sculptural ceramic vase, hand-painted in 1950s Italy with soft pastels, gilded flourish & poetic sea life. Editor’s Pick from Wunder Kammer.
#vintagevase #italianceramics #1950sdesign #underwatermotif #midcenturymodern #wunderkammerfinds #artobject #poeticdecor #studio ceramic  #postwarItalian design

Why This Object Belongs in a Wunderkammer

1. A Rare Aesthetic Duality
This vase bridges two worlds: the fragile, almost dreamlike imagery of an underwater scene and the expressive gesture of a modernist gilded rim. The result is an object that feels both soft and bold — like a relic that might once have belonged in a 17th-century cabinet of curiosities, reborn through the sensibility of the 1950s.

2. Craft + Whimsy = Wunder-worthy
Hand-painted fish, jellyfish, and sea stars drift across a surface that feels at once realistic and surreal. The fine craftsmanship, combined with a looped, almost cartoon-like golden flourish, holds the viewer’s attention — and poses quiet questions. Precisely what any true Wunderkammer object should do.

3. A Time Capsule of a Changing World
The piece radiates the post-war optimism of 1950s Italy. In a period when design began to reclaim emotional and decorative value, its maker chose not functionalist lines but nature, fantasy, and color. This vase tells a quiet story of humanity’s return to beauty after rupture — a narrative that fits seamlessly into any collection of meaningful objects.

4. A Sculptural Object Beyond Function
This is not merely a vessel. It’s a sculptural statement. Its weight, form, and surface presence make it an anchor point in any space. It transcends decoration — it is the decoration. A Wunderkammer thrives on pieces that exist outside category and claim the right to stand alone.

A Painted World of Its Own
An object that invites wonder — like a fishbowl, but rendered in brushstrokes.
The round form recalls a globe, though submerged: a self-contained universe where fish, jellyfish, and aquatic flora float in slow suspension. It is, at a glance, a miniature cosmos captured in glaze.
This vase isn’t about utility — it’s about reverie. And that’s precisely what makes it so essential in a Wunderkammer.