This vintage Bitossi turtle SOLD through iNVISeDGE for AU$179 back in 2013. We’re about to get some more Bitossi pottery in- keep following our NEWLY LISTED Category. Today in 2020 I’d certainly price this piece at significantly more (I’d say around AU$265) IF I found another. NOTE- our prices are in AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS- which is significantly less in American dollars.
Background Info and Provenance
A VINTAGE Bitossi turtle made in Italy in the late 1950’s or early 60’s. This is in a very rare design and is one that really works- it’s one of my favourite Bitossi pieces. I love the patterning on the back- it’s fresh and flowing and ties in well with the turtle design as it gives the impression of a turtle gliding through the ocean. It’s a design that’s certainly noticed but not one that’s completely over the top.
This is a genuine vintage piece made by hand. There have been recent re-issues of Bitossi pieces (none are anything like this piece though. The new ones are essentially plaster poured into a mould (a machine could do it and does). They don’t have the hand-made quality of the vintage pieces. The new ones look mass-produced and are. The re-issues have found their way into Australia and there are ebay sellers labeling them as “authentic” and “retro”. They are not authentic and certainly not retro- they are re-issues (copies) of the vintage originals. All the re-issues look exactly the same- all the patterns and decoration are identical on every piece. This is an obvious vintage original- the patterning on the back has quite obviously been done by hand. The vintage Rosenthal Netter paper label also verifies its age. Rosenthal Netter was a retail heavyweight that imported designer pieces into America during the 1960’s. The Rosenthal Netter label gives it further history and appeal.
To my knowledge, Bitossi pieces were never retailed in Australia back in the 60’s- they’re incredibly rare here and much-loved by Australian collectors. Bitossi animals in Australia are about 30 times rarer than America.
The real beauty of owning Bitossi pottery is knowing it won’t be in vogue for a season or even a couple of years before ending up as landfill. The hand-made quality of these pieces draws people in- the heart and soul that comes through will always speak to people regardless time period, age and background. This Bitossi piece has survived 50 years and is more popular than ever. There are very few better ways to invest in your home and our environment.
2003
This turtle is in excellent condition considering his age and travels. There are NO cracks, NO repairs, NO chips. There is a tiny section where the glaze hasn’t taken near the nose. I have photographed this area very clearly in two photos. It’s not noticed unless you’re looking very carefully for it and if you can’t see it in the photos excuse this comment- it’s an extremely pedantic observation. This turtle is HAND-MADE and there are a lot of “imperfections” that occurred during the creation process. It’s obvious it was made by a person and not a machine. I personally don’t see these as imperfections anyway- as people we are imperfect so this piece of art is perfect exactly the way it is. The turtle has been photographed clearly- look at all the photos and you’ll know exactly what you’re buying. I like the mix of glazed and unglazed sections (eg. the black outlines are unglazed as are an area on each flipper)- this is something intentionally done by the artist. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
He measures 24cm in length with a width of about 19cm. The height is about 8cm. This is a good size. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Read my 1110+ 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 . . . from 30 or 40 minutes North of BRISBANE city is accepted but postage is preferred as my home is hard to find. Because of this I will nominate a friend or family member for you to collect the item from if you need collection. 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 $20 - $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 vase is cheaper or more expensive than $200 this will effect your postage fee slightly. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A BOXING FEE of $3.00 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 $3.00 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 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.
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