Designer: Aldo Londi (1911 – 2003)

Item: Fritte Colorate Series Bookends

Manufactured by: Bitossi

Country of origin: Italy

Year made: 1957 to 1959

Materials: Chamotte stoneware, glaze and fused glass

Dimensions: 6” x 3 ¼” x 2 ¾”

Condition: Excellent

Description: Here is an extremely rare pair of Aldo Londi for Bitossi bookends with his Fritte Colorate, or fused glass glaze.  Any Londi designed objects with this glaze are very hard to find to begin with, but these bookends seem to be the scarcest.  We have only ever seen one other pair with this exact design. The others with the Fritte fused glass glaze we see are the classic blue with small fish design or ashtrays, trays or boxes with the same style design as these.  These bear the correct Bitossi marks as shown. 

Aldo Londi was a painter, sculptor and ceramicist.  He started his career with Cav. G. Bitossi & Figli in 1946 serving as the artistic director from 1946 until 1976 and then staying on for the remainder of his life as a major design contributor.  He experimented extensively throughout his life with various glaze techniques and styles and some of his forms and glazes have become iconic Italian modern design classics from the midcentury period.