A little knowledge, Part 2

When does a genuine attempt to be helpful come across as know-it-all-ness and poking your nose where it doesn't belong?

I recently read a listing for a vase that was somewhat more ornate than is usually considered "mid-century modern" design, even though it very likely was produced in the mid-1900s. The vase retained the Rosenthal Netter paper label, so the seller got the name of the distributor right, but the maker was listed as "Bisotti," rather than Bitossi. The seller had obviously heard of Raymor, another major distributor, and Aldo Londi, the well-known Italian ceramics designer, pulling together these fragments of information to claim, "...the designer is most likely Raymor Londi."

As I often opine, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing, especially when listing something on eBay, Craigslist or Etsy. Nothing says "I really don't know what I'm selling or how to price it" like including incorrect information about a piece. That's why my motto is "Check, check and check again."

As a buyer, I usually shy away from items with listings like this, because the seller has just enough knowledge to put a huge, unrealistic price tag on a piece that has been incorrectly identified in the first place. I've found I'm much more likely to get a bargain on a "real" piece if the seller knows nothing at all or knows a great deal...and more likely to get burned if the seller knows just enough to be wrong.

Still, I hate to see a seller floundering. It's either the teacher in me, or I have co-dependency issues that I need to deal with, because it brings out the caretaker in me. :) I'm always tempted to drop a quick email that says something like "Thought you might want to change your listing..." and then supply the correct information.

I usually don't though, because some people don't take kindly to unsolicited advice. I'd want to be told if I had a listing up that was incorrect, but I'm sure some people would resent the intrusion.

So what do you do when you run across a seriously inaccurate listing? Do you tell, or do you mind your own business?

At the other end of the spectrum are excellent sellers like these, who really know their stuff and accurately identify and describe the pieces they have for sale. This is the kind of seller I love to buy from. Take a look at these beautiful items:

Accurately identified as an Italian vase imported by Raymor
etsy.com - ten22home

Accurately identified as an 1865-C Adrian Pearsall chair
etsy.com - scoxx30

Accurately identified as an Italian vase imported by Rosenthal Netter
etsy.com - ClubModerne

Accurately identified as a Peter Hvidt table for France and Sons
etsy.com - artebella

Accurately identified as a Paul McCobb design for Jackson China
etsy.com - SmugglersCoveVintage

Accurately identified as 1960s Rid-Jid outdoor furniture
etsy.com - hausproud

Accurately identified as a Tapio Wirkkala Pollo vase
etsy.com - modernrelicsshop

In the store: More Italian pottery and some cool glass

When my daughter found the cute Caltempo Fish Fin tidbit server the other day, she also brought back a few other pieces, among them a great orange pedestal bowl that's almost a foot in diameter and 6.5" tall. I haven't figured out its history yet, but I'm searching. It's stamped "Handpainted in Italy" inside the pedestal...not the usual handwritten markings on pieces Raymor or Rosenthal usually imported from Italy. What it may lack in pedigree, it makes up for in size, texture and color. It's a stunning piece.

(Update: 8/20/2013 - This is an Aldo Londi design for Bitossi, part of his "Seta" collection. It was produced between 1957 and 1965.)

She also got a very nice quality glass bowl in a rich amber color which is very large and very heavy. It's not marked at all, but at this stage of my research, which admittedly isn't very far along,  I'm guessing Viking, although Wayne Husted did some crazy freeform bowls for Blenko in the 60s. If any of you have any information about either piece, please share it with me.

Italian pedestal bowl by Aldo Londi for Bitossi

Freeform glass bowl, maker also unknown

Bitossi for Raymor...marked or unmarked?

Guido Bitossi founded Manifattura Cavaliere Bitossi e Fioglia in 1921. The family had been involved in making roof tiles for centuries, and the 1921 enterprises added floor tiles, household ceramic items and art pottery to the line. During World War II, the Bitossi factory escaped bombing, and when they war ended, they began exporting art pottery to American companies like Raymor.

During this early period of 1921 through the 1950s, Bitossi ceramics used the painted mark of a capital letter "B" followed by a period or sometimes an underscored capital letter "B: with or without a period.

That said, many pieces of Bitossi are unmarked. Quite often large and important importers would request that the manufacturer's name be omitted so that consumers would not be able to obtain them anywhere else. This was, and still is, quite common and is the reason so much Italian pottery goes unidentified. 

Sometimes importers might actually own the design rights to a line of ceramics. Raymor is a good example. Owning the design rights allows the importer to contract with any company or number of companies to produce the wares. An importer might have two or more factories producing his line in order to ensure a constant, uninterrupted supply should one factory experience an equipment failure or a worker's strike, which was common in post-war Italy.

Experts readily admit, as does the Bitossi company, that many early pieces left the factory without the Bitossi mark. Mid-century pieces and marked as such are collectible and relatively expensive. Such pieces, whether created by Londi, Fornasetti, Sottsass, Rashid or other great 20th century designers, are works or art.

However, if an item is not clearly marked, it is probably best not to spend a large sum of money on it. Ceramiche Bitossi is willing to help the collector.  If you send a photo to the company, they will authenticate the piece for you.

From a post by Walter Del Pellegrino on italianpotterymarks.freeforums.org 

George Nelson Meridian drink tables made by Bitossi for Raymor, 1950s

Aldo Londi, Bitossi (blue pieces in his Rimini Blu glaze)
modish.net

Aldo Londi, Bitossi for Raymor
modish.net

Aldo Londi, Bitossi for Raymor
modish.net

Bitossi multicolor ceramics
hiandlomodern.com