Vintage studio pottery vase, sculptural slab form, olive, ochre & bronze glaze, 1970s/80s

This sculptural vase is a unique piece of studio pottery, likely created in the 1970s or early 1980s, a period when many studio potters in Europe consciously moved away from the potter's wheel and began constructing vessels freely from clay slabs. Instead of rotationally symmetrical forms, the focus was on the plasticity of the material: the slabs were folded, compressed, and pinched at the edges, giving each piece its own, non-repeatable silhouette. This example bears no signature or workshop mark; the base reveals the light, unglazed stoneware body.

The flat, slightly asymmetrical body rises from a narrow, oval base, rounding off at the top into a soft, pebble-like outline; a vertical fold line divides both front and back, giving the vessel an almost figurative quality. Centrally located is a small, irregularly torn opening, its rough edges revealing the manual creation process. The glossy, multi-layered glaze plays between olive, ochre, and mustard yellow, streaked with black-brown sections and a metallic, shimmering bronze tone; fine speckles, pinholes, and drip marks appear where the glaze boiled during firing and thinned over the edges.

Displayed as a solitaire on a sideboard, shelf, or windowsill, the vase acts more like a small ceramic sculpture than a functional vessel, fitting equally well into a mid-century interior or a minimalist, contemporary setting with a Wabi-Sabi aesthetic; it is also suitable for holding a few dried flowers or grasses. The shown glaze irregularities are firing-related and not damage. It measures 21.5 cm in height, 16 cm in width, and 8 cm in depth and is in very good condition.