Rina Menardi Large Ceramic Vase in the Style of Scanavino, Italy, 1980s

A beautiful large ceramic vase designed, produced and signed by Rina Menardi, Italy, circa 1980s.

This striking piece stands out for its elegant sculptural presence and refined graphic decoration, strongly reminiscent of the expressive abstract language of Emilio Scanavino. The vase has a generous rounded base that rises into a more tapered upper section, creating a powerful yet balanced silhouette. With its 33 cm height and broad 30 cm base diameter, it has a strong decorative presence without losing the softness and sophistication typical of Rina Menardi’s ceramic work.

The composition is built around a beautiful contrast between two distinct surfaces. The upper part is finished in a deep matte black, almost smoky in tone, with subtle horizontal traces that reveal the hand-worked ceramic surface beneath. This wide black band gives the vase an architectural strength and a very contemporary presence.

The lower section is finished in an off-white ceramic surface, warm and slightly irregular, almost aged or “dirty” in the most beautiful sense. The color is not flat, but full of delicate tonal variations, natural shadows and soft earthy nuances. Across this lighter band, fine black abstract lines move around the body of the vase like spontaneous signs, scratches, gestures or fragments of writing. These decorations create a strong visual connection to Scanavino’s graphic universe, with nervous, poetic marks suspended between drawing, calligraphy and abstraction.

The contrast between the dark upper volume and the expressive lower decoration gives the piece great elegance. It feels minimal from a distance, but becomes rich and textural when viewed closely. The close-up images reveal the subtle surface irregularities, the hand-applied decoration, the warm off-white glaze and the beautiful depth of the black markings.

The mouth has a diameter of 20 cm, giving the vase a generous opening while maintaining its sculptural purity. The underside retains the original Rina Menardi label, reading “rina menardi hand made in Italy,” confirming its authorship and Italian production.

A refined and highly decorative ceramic object, perfect as a standalone sculptural vase or as a statement piece in a contemporary, minimalist, brutalist or art-filled interior. Its strong black-and-white composition, painterly surface and elegant proportions make it a particularly sophisticated example of Italian ceramic design from the 1980s.