Designer: Aldo Londi (1911 – 2003)

Item: Fritte Fused Glass Box and Ashtray Set

Manufactured by: Bitossi for Raymor

Country of origin: Italy

Year made: 1950s

Materials: Ceramic, glaze and fused glass

Dimensions: Box is 2” x 8” x 4”, ashtray is 1 ½” x 5 ½” x 5 ½”

Condition: Excellent with no chips, cracks, nicks or loss of glaze.

Description: Here is a very rare set of an Aldo Londi for Bitossi lidded box and matching ashtray in Londi’s scarcely found Fritte fused glass series with an olive green ground and checkered design. We have only seen one other item with this exact glaze and that was a small vase. This set was imported to and retailed in the United States by Raymor and bears its original Raymor label on the bottom of the box as shown, with the BIT Bitossi initials for an original Londi design and manufactured product.  However, many of Londi’s Fritte fused glass glaze ceramic objects were also exported to and retailed by Illums Bolighus in Copenhagen, Denmark and can be found in their catalogs. The ashtray has remnants of a label, possibly Illums Bolighus, as shown. Londi’s Fritte fused glass objects are some of his most costly, sought after and hard to find Italian modern ceramics.

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.