Bambú vase | Enzo Mari | Danese, Italy | 1969

Enzo Mari
Danese, Italy, 1969

Promotional image for the reissued Bambu vase.

The Bambu (3084) vase by Enzo Mari is one in a family of designs made by pressure casting tubes of PVC.  Similar designs are represented by the Tortiglione (‘Spiral’) set of two vases (3083 B). First made in 1969 in brown ochre and yellow ochre, the Bambu series had three vases with tops parallel to the setting surface and two with angled tops.  The vases look well when grouped together in different configurations.  The originals are quite uncommon.

Danese reissued the designs of the Bambu base in 2000 in ivory, slate gray, and orange and in small, medium, and large sizes (the three vases in the original 3084 series that were not cut at an angle).  The list price for each was considerable, in the $200 range.  Most of the reissued vases I have encountered had a serious flaw.  They leak like sieves where the bottom of the vase is attached to the tube.  A little silicone sealant solves the problem.

Reissue box, vase (medium size) and insert.  Image source:  eBay.

The bottom of the ivory reissue Bambu vase, with imprint.  You can see some of the sealant in the ring adjacent to the bottom and side of the vase.

Three ivory reissue Bambu vases, with a cute Ikea turtle stuffed animal.  My turtle plays a song when you pull its neck!

The five original Bambu vases from the Italy: The new domestic landscape exhibition, p. 91.

The stamp on the original Bambu vase is an engraved metal disc. Image source: 1stdibs. Item sold.

Original Bambu vase, in yellow ochre.  Image source:  Galerie Christine Diegoni, Paris. 

Selected Bibliography

Philippe Decelle, Diane Hennebert, Pierre Loze, L'Utopie Du Tout Plastique 1960 - 1973, 1994, p.62.

Reference

Ambasz, E., ed. (1972). Italy: The new domestic landscape:  Achievements and problems of Italian design. New York, NY: Museum of Modern Art, NY. 

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