Description
SOLD for AU$309 in the first day it was listed (2024). NOTE- our prices are in AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS (which is significantly less in American dollars).
LOCATION- Brisbane City area
Background Info and Provenance
(Description written in 2024. Some information such as values may be time-sensitive.)
A brilliant vintage Bitossi cat designed by Aldo Londi in the 1950’s. She measures an impressive 15.5cm in height which is a good size for Bitossi pottery. Vintage Bitossi pieces were all done by hand in Italy- the incisions on the outside, the paint decoration and the moulding have been done by the hands of an artist- the “roughness” of Bitossi pieces and the tooling marks draw people in (even if somewhat subconsciously) because this tells us they were actually made by people. This is where vintage Bitossi pieces and the new releases that are currently around vary markedly. The new pieces are essentially plaster poured into a mould- a machine could do it and does. The new-release Bitossi pieces are all identical for each shape- they look mass-produced and are. They lack the character of the vintage pieces. The new releases may have the name Bitossi stamped underneath but they are NOT authentic Bitossi pieces- Bitossi made its name in the middle of last century by creating every pottery piece BY HAND. Some ebay sellers may market the new ones as being retro and authentic- they are NOT- they are copies of the originals made by machines.
To my knowledge, Bitossi pieces were never retailed in Australia- they were commissioned by a variety of heavyweights in larger countries including design retailers such as Raymor and Rosenthal Netter in the USA but Bitossi animals are very rare in the Southern Hemisphere. This cat in particular is rarely seen here. This is the first one of these that I’ve ever seen for sale here in Australia- she’d make the perfect gift for the cat lover who also loves vintage decor.
It’s obvious this cat has been done by hand but this shape hasn’t been re-issued anyway- this is a VINTAGE Bitossi piece- GUARANTEED. The piece is stamped with FLAVIA and also has the MADE IN ITALY label that was used in the 1960’s and 1970’s- this label further strengthens its investment appeal. I’ve been following the investment values of vintage Bitossi for 20 years. It has never gone backwards in that time and from 2013 to 2019 values DOUBLED! Since COVID they have increased in value by about 50% in just 4 years (from 2020 – 2024).
But the investment appeal of this cat is a small part of the equation. When you experience Bitossi pieces first-hand, there’s something very special about knowing the piece is the handiwork of highly-esteemed artists who worked in Italy back in the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s… Most home décor ends up as landfill after a matter of years whereas Bitossi pieces have only become more prized as time goes by. This is certainly a piece to hang onto because the popularity of Bitossi pieces will outlive us all. There’s no better way to invest in your home and our environment.
2406
This cat is in excellent condition considering her age and travels. There are NO chips, NO cracks from damage, NO repairs and NO noticeable damage at all. This piece is vintage and hand-made so expect small signs of use and age over the course of about 50 years but there's nothing of any significance.
She has a height of about 15.5cm and measures 10cm across. Weight- 493 grams Read my 1100+ eBay feedback comments (ALL for vintage furniture/decorative art SALES- 100 or so are from repeat customers). This is your guarantee that I strive to describe all my items as accurately as I can and I will not stock items unless they are in excellent condition.
PICK-UP . . . near BRISBANE city is accepted. Pick-up in person must be worked out prior to purchase- thank you. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ POSTAGE is offered internationally. All our Decorative Arts pieces are delivered through AUSTRALIA POST. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ POSTAGE ESTIMATES. . . . ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ To BRISBANE- most of our pieces cost $15 - $18 to send. . . To SYDNEY or MELBOURNE- Small Vase- around $20 - $23, Medium Vase- around $21 - $25, Large Vase- around $24 - $30. Let us know if you need an EXACT COST for postage prior to purchase. The above postage estimates include $2.95 for a signature on delivery. . . INSURANCE against being lost or broken in transit up to the value of $200 is included in the estimates above. If your item is cheaper or more expensive than $200 this will effect your postage fee slightly. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A BOXING FEE of $4.00 is included in the fee above to cover the cost of searching for and storing used packing materials. With the millions of cardboard boxes that end up as landfill every year we don’t believe in supporting the manufacture of boxes for post. Instead of buying new boxes and packing materials and passing this cost onto our customers we spend considerable time sourcing used boxes and then fashioning boxes to fit each item. We do the same for bubble-wrap and foam pieces. This requires a large investment of time, energy, ingenuity, organization and storage space- it is much easier and cheaper to buy new packing materials but I can’t justify taking the easy way out when so much packing material ends up polluting our earth. Our $4.00 charge does little to pay for the time (and storage) needed do this and to pack your item (there is also the time needed to get your package to the post office). This is something we’re happy to do for our customers and the environment. We appreciate your support in this area.
We accept DIRECT BANK DEPOSIT. We send photographic ID of the iNVISeDGE store owner (Michael Grealy) to all customers at the point of sale, along with media articles about iNVISeDGE with photos of Michael Grealy in them (most of these articles are about 10 years old). Your payment will be paid into an Australian ANZ bank account under the name Michael Grealy (or iNVISeDGE). Please read our ebay feedback spanning more than 15 years for irrefutable proof of our online trading history and reputation. Ebay feedback can ONLY be left by LEGITIMATE PAYING customers! Additionally please be aware that in Australia ALL consumers are protected BY LAW if the goods or services they buy are not as described. (But this should be of no concern- in our first 15 years of trading we have over 1150 positive ebay feedback comments and ZERO negative feedback comments.) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
On occasions a DIRECT BANK DEPOSIT can be made at the time of collection. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
On occasions CASH payment when you collect your item may also be available. Confirm prior to purchase if you need this. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Other payment methods are available but problematic and may incur additional fees. Tell us prior to purchase if you are unable to feel 100% confident with our trading history and payment methods so we can negotiate something else with you.
Click on "About iNVISeDGE" at the top of this page to find out more about iNVISeDGE.
