Have it delivered hassle-freeBuyer protectionAll Designer items curated by WhoppahDownload the Whoppah App – get alerts & sell with ease.
Rosenthal Porcelain Curated Set Wolf Karnagel “Owl” Vases & Jan van der Vaart
€720Bid from €540
Buy with confidence
Shop & pay safely with our Buyer ProtectionDesigner items curated by WhoppahWe only pay the seller once you have safely received the itemTrusted payment methods
About this seller
Berlin, GermanyOn Whoppah since August 2023 • 23 sales
Product description
Rosenthal Porcelain Ensemble – Wolf Karnagel “Owl” Vases (2) & Jan van der Vaart “Nautica” Bowl
Germany, late 20th century
Glossy white porcelain
This refined trio brings together three canonical positions within postwar European porcelain design: sculptural reduction, architectural clarity, and disciplined formal experimentation. Produced by Rosenthal, the ensemble combines two “Owl” vases by Wolf Karnagel with a “Nautica” bowl by Jan van der Vaart—each object autonomous, yet in dialogue through material, proportion, and surface.
The Manufacturer: Rosenthal
Founded in 1879, Rosenthal became one of the most influential European porcelain manufacturers of the 20th century by consistently positioning itself at the intersection of industry, art, and design theory. From the postwar period onward—especially through the Studio-Line—Rosenthal collaborated with leading architects, artists, and designers to push porcelain beyond decorative convention into the realm of sculptural and conceptual design. The pieces presented here belong squarely to that tradition: porcelain as a medium for ideas, not ornament.
Wolf Karnagel and the “Owl” Vases
Wolf Karnagel’s work for Rosenthal is marked by restraint, precision, and an architectural understanding of volume. The so-called “Owl” vases—named for their suggestive front fold rather than any literal figuration—exemplify this approach. A single vertical indentation activates the otherwise calm cylindrical body, creating a subtle play of light and shadow that changes with viewpoint.
The larger vase (24 cm, extremely rare find) asserts a strong, upright presence, while the smaller version (15 cm, somewhat more commonly found) offers a condensed, almost introverted counterpart. Together, they recall the logic of serial modernism: same idea, different scale, altered tension. Karnagel’s design language aligns with late modernist tendencies of the 1970s–80s, where minimal intervention replaces expressive gesture, and form is reduced to its structural essentials.
Jan van der Vaart and the “Nautica” Bowl
Jan van der Vaart occupies a pivotal position in European ceramic history as one of the key figures who redefined ceramics as an autonomous sculptural discipline. Trained in the Netherlands and deeply influenced by Bauhaus principles, van der Vaart advocated for clarity of form, industrial precision, and conceptual rigor—values that translated seamlessly into his collaborations with Rosenthal.
The “Nautica” bowl embodies controlled asymmetry: its gently shifting rim and disciplined curvature suggest movement without instability. The piece reads simultaneously as vessel and object, functional yet self-contained. In contrast to Karnagel’s vertical emphasis, van der Vaart introduces horizontal expansion and dynamic imbalance, enriching the ensemble’s formal conversation.
Design Context and Ensemble Reading
Placed together, these three objects form a compact survey of late-20th-century European porcelain thinking. The glossy white glaze—typical of Rosenthal’s pursuit of technical perfection—eliminates distraction, allowing form alone to carry meaning. What emerges is a dialogue between volume and void, symmetry and deviation, seriality and singular gesture.
This is not decorative porcelain in the traditional sense, but design rooted in architectural logic and modernist philosophy. The ensemble works equally well as a unified sculptural group or as individual accents within a curated interior or collection.
Objects Included
Rosenthal vase, Wolf Karnagel, “Owl”
Glossy white porcelain
Height: 15 cm
Rosenthal vase, Wolf Karnagel, “Owl”
Glossy white porcelain
Height: 24 cm · Width: 21 cm · Depth: 10 cm
Rosenthal bowl, Jan van der Vaart, “Nautica”
Glossy white porcelain
Height: 9 cm · Width: 22.5 cm · Depth: 21 cm
Condition
All three pieces are in excellent vintage condition, with no chips, cracks, or restorations. Surfaces are clean and well preserved, showing only minimal age-appropriate traces, if any. Please refer to the photographs, which form an integral part of the description.
General Information
Please explore our profile for more vintage vases!
International buyers: import duties or taxes, if applicable, are the buyer’s responsibility.
All items are photographed and described with care. Vintage pieces may show minimal traces of age; any significant flaws will be clearly mentioned.
Specifications
ConditionVery goodColorsWhiteMaterialPorcelainNumber of items3StyleVintageBrandRosenthalHeight24 cmWidth21 cmDepth10 cm
Discover more
Seller information
About this seller
Berlin, GermanyOn Whoppah since August 2023 • 23 sales