SKU: 33482503926

ALDO LONDI BIRD FIGURINE FOR BITOSSI

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Description

ALDO LONDI BIRD FIGURINE FOR BITOSSIA fantastic bird figurine in beautiful autumnal colors of orange, brown, and yellow with a 'piume' (plumage) decor designed specifically for this form. It was created in the 1960s by Aldo Londi for Bitossi (Italy). These figurines were available both with and without 'legs' in the form of two thick black metal wires welded to a plate metal base. This one comes without, but does have the holes in case one wanted to have them fabricated. ALDO LONDI

A fantastic bird figurine in beautiful autumnal colors of orange, brown, and yellow with a 'piume' (plumage) decor designed specifically for this form.  It was created in the 1960s by Aldo Londi for Bitossi (Italy).  These figurines were available both with and without 'legs' in the form of two thick black metal wires welded to a plate metal base.  This one comes without, but does have the holes in case one wanted to have them fabricated.

ALDO LONDI (1911-2003) was one of Italy's most noted master ceramicists who spent most of his long and successful career creating exceptional works of great art and craft for the Italian ceramics manufactory Bitossi Ceramiche.

Londi’s hometown just outside of Florence, Montelupo Fiorentino, has been an important center for pottery production since the Renaissance. In 1922, at the age of eleven, Londi started working for Fratelli Fanciullacci, the region’s premier ceramics workshop at the time. Following World War II—upon returning to Italy from South Africa, where he was a prisoner of war—Londi became Bitossi’s Creative Director. He would hold this position for more than 50 years and would design over 1,000 objects—ranging from jugs and vases to clocks and animal figurines.

Londi employed his high-level technical expertise and vast experience in traditional artisanal methods to create distinctively expressive and whimsical forms, patterns, and finishes. Londi’s best-known collection is the 1950s-era Rimini Blu (1955-1965), a now-iconic midcentury modern series encompassing over 150 designs, all glazed in vibrant blue and embossed with abstract motifs and shapes. Londi created Ball Vase, his first piece in Persiano Blue, in 1955. Not long after in 1959, he began to create more pieces in this proprietary chromatic finish. The collection holds historical importance because it helped to bring handcrafted works into the modernist design conversation in Italy. Although blue was not the only color Londi utilized, it has become closely associated with his oeuvre. Londi’s last solo collection, Arkitectura (ca. 1950s), was very different from his earlier work; it features elegantly minimalistic animal figures glazed in monochromatic black, white, or platinum.

Starting in 1958, Londi began a fruitful collaboration with legendary architect-designer Ettore Sottsass (1917-2007), who considered Londi to be an important mentor. During his time at Bitossi, Londi also collaborated with Piero Fornasetti (1913-1988), Matteo Thun (b. 1952), and Karim Radhid (b. 1960).

Most of Londi’s collections, including the Rimini Blu and Akitectura, are still in production today and are widely collected by ceramics enthusiasts. Many of his original works can be seen at the MAIB–Artistic Industrial Bitossi Museum in Montelupo, which is dedicated to the history of the company

 

BITOSSI CERAMICHE was established in 1921 as Manifattura Ceramica Cav. Guido Bitossi & Figli by Guido Bitossi in Montelupo Fiorentino in Tuscany—a region with an ancient tradition of ceramics a few kilometers from Florence. The Bitossi family, documented in the area as early as 1536, had for centuries worked there as sculptors, painters, but especially as potters. In the twentieth century, under Guido's leadership, they would introduce an extraordinary stylistic and formal renewal of their craft.

In the late 1940s master ceramist Aldo Londi (1911-2003) was named BITOSSI CERAMICHE's creative director. He held the position for more than 50 years and would design over 1,000 objects for the company. Himself a Montelupo native, Londi brought to BITOSSI a deep expertise in the traditional production of ceramics. Nevertheless he keenly appreciated the streamlined forms of the mid-century moment. He is best known for his 'Rimini Blu' collection (1955-1965), an iconic series comprised of over 150 designs—bowls, vases, jugs, and animal figurines—all glazed in a vibrant azure hue and embossed with abstract motifs and shapes. It helped to bring expressive, hand-crafted work into the modernist design conversation in Italy. Londi’s last solo collection, 'ARKitectura,' stands somewhat apart from his earlier work and features elegantly minimalistic animal figures glazed in monochromatic black, white, or platinum. Both collections are still in production today and widely collected by enthusiasts.

During Londi's tenure, BITOSSI collaborated successfully with a host of famous designers, including the legendary architect-designer Ettore Sottsass. An avatar of 1960s counter-culture, Sottsass thought design should be provocative and sensual, and his avant-garde style blended well with BITOSSI’s mid-century aesthetic. Besides Sottsass, BITOSSI partnered with designers Piero Fornasetti, Karim Rashid, Arik Levy, Fabio Novembre, Benjamin Hubert, Matteo Thun, Monica Förster, and Cédric Ragot.

Today BITOSSI CERAMICHE is justly considered an institution. The Bitossi family and its foundation have amassed an archive of over 7,000 historical documents and materials in relation to the production of ceramics. The assemblage is housed in the Bitossi Artistic Industrial Museum in Montelupo. In 2014, BITOSSI became an official member of the Registry of Italian Historical Companies, appointed by the Italian National Union of Chambers of Commerce.

Designer Aldo Londi
Manufacturer Bitossi
Design Period 1950 to 1959
Production Period Unknown
Country of Manufacture Italy
Identifying Marks This piece has an attribution mark
Style Vintage, Mid-Century, Italian Modern, Hand-Crafted, Modernist
Detailed Condition Excellent — This vintage piece is in near original condition. It may show minimal traces of use and/or have slight restorations.
Product Code
Materials Ceramic
Color Orange, yellow, brown, chartreuse
Width 11.0 inch
Depth 4.8 inch
Height 7.3 inch
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SKU: 33482503926

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4.1 ★★★★★
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M
Verified Purchase
Mark Norton
Los Angeles, US
★★★★★ 5
Best right-handed trackball ever
This is the best pointing device I've ever used, hands-down. This is the second one I've purchased since I've managed to run out the last one in 4-5 years of very heavy usage. Here's what I like about it. The real centerpiece of this trackball is the off-center ball. Now, this does make this definitely a right-handed trackball and lefties will probably feel left out, but putting the ball off-center matches the general distribution of your fingers over your hand. It's been to be maneuvered with your index through ring finger, and it is perfectly positioned to roll to any of those fingers as you need to use the scroll wheel or the right mouse button. Compared to a more omni-handed Kensington and the comfort difference is astounding. Likewise, for me, this is infinitely more comfortable than using my thumb for the trackball. The trackball pointing devices that use the thumb inevitably make my hand and thumb joint feel jammed up. Also compared to Kensington, having a proper vertical scroll wheel is infinitely better than their "orbit ring" in my mind. The index finger quite naturally lines up with the wheel. The overall shape fits my hand comfortably and makes for easy long hours working or gaming. Construction is solid and it's durable with good maintenance. As noted I used the previous one for at least 4 years, and used it quite heavily for general computer tasking, through EDA tools (Modelsim), through heavy gaming (including FPS and MMORPGs). If you are a button hog, then you might run out, but there's more than enough for me to use and i'm quite pleased with what I've been able to make it do. Defictis: There are few. As noted, if you are a left handed computer pointer... you'll have to go with a mouse or a Kensington. If you've trained your right hand to point this may work for you. The wireless aspect of the device is not it's strongest feature and there have been a few rare moments when it seems to lose its connection with the base station. And wireless range is probably a little limited, though I've used it successfully several feet away from the base. It does have a few dropouts in motion further away though, so don't use this for a large presentation room or TV gaming. But that's pretty much it. The sad thing is that Logitech doesn't seem to push this product into stores, so it's a bit hard to find on the shelf where you can do a touch fit. They've used this form factor for awhile though, so hopefully it'll continue to be useful in Amazon sales and make a comeback in a new product again soon. I"m tempted to buy another though to have in reserve in 4-5 years though!
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Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2010
K
Verified Purchase
Kelly C
Chelsea, US
★★★★★ 5
Great Ergonomics
Color: Black
I had bought this keyboard back in 2012 when I had tendonitis and needed to make my entire work set-up more ergonomic. This keyboard helped immensely! This keyboard comes with the extra bottom attachment to lift the keyboard, but I always found it more comfortable to use the keyboard without it (maybe just add a wrist-rest if needed). I type pretty often and very quickly, and it was easy to adjust to the split layout (only took a couple hours to remember which keys to hit with which hand...). The quality of this keyboard is pretty decent - I would still be using this keyboard to this day, but it had one-too-many liquid spills back in 2020 to the point that certain keys would not function, so that was that. I have used this keyboard for windows, linux, and mac (primarily mac) and can say that all the regular keyboard functions worked. All of the extras (i.e. 'media' buttons along the top and center) were inconsistent about working and depends on what system you are using. I didn't take too much time to force it into working, since I didn't really need those functions. I also travelled for work with this keyboard - although it's bulky, it does fit in the check-in bags, and the wired function is convenient since it doesn't require batteries. Although I loved this keyboard dearly, when it met it's untimely death, I looked for a replacement and I was surprised at the price this keyboard is currently at. It's definitely not something I would be able to afford back when I was working barely above minimum wage... I can't promise if it'll be worth the cost as there are other alternatives that could work just as well at a lower price. However, my experience of this keyboard was definitely excellent and met my ergonomic needs.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2023
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Verified Purchase
Deanna
Belleville, US
★★★★★ 5
Works for what I need it for
Color: Black
I've been using this type of keyboard for years. I remember back in the late 1990/early 2000s, I was working as a medical transcriptionist and my supervisor at the time was using a "curved" white Microsoft Natural Elite keyboard. I was still using the typical, out-of-the-box, straight keyboard. She gave me hers to try out for a while. At first, I HATED it. My typing speed was terrible, I was pressing every wrong key, etc. But after I got used to it, I realized there was no way I could ever go back to a straight keyboard. Now, all of these years later I'm still working as a medical transcriptionist and have graduated up to the Microsoft 4000. I still have problems using a straight keyboard - in fact, when I'm using my laptop for work I cannot use the laptop keyboard and have to hook up my own keyboard in order to transcribe. Compared to all of the other "ergo" keyboards out there that I have tried (and I have tried quite a few), this is the best I've found. Now, I have never tried the Kinesis which I hear once you try and actually get used to you will never go back to anything else ever again and that it's the "best of the best." I have thought about trying one of those out, but I just cannot justify the cost. Perhaps if I was suffering from more carpal tunnel symptoms, more wrist pain, etc., I would give it a try, but as of now the Microsoft 4000 works for what I need it for. I am pairing it with an Anker wireless mouse, which took me a while to get used to but now I couldn't function without it! My sister was visiting me a few months ago and she was having a terrible time using my keyboard and mouse just to function on the internet and I then realized how somebody who isn't used to it feels. As I mentioned above, I've been using one of these "curved" split keyboards for nearly 20 years now, so I'm definitely used to it. With this keyboard, my hands feel like they are at a more natural position compared to a regular standard keyboard where they feel to be unnaturally squished close together. When I worked in-house at a local clinic (I currently work from home), we had occupational therapists come over to evaluate our work stations, etc. I was told I have hyperreflexia and that the best position for this keyboard was to keep the lower bottom "riser" attached and to keep the top legs folded up so that my hands are sloping down from my wrist placement. That is the best position for me, but others may be different. As I mentioned before, I have used this brand of keyboard for years, though I need replacements every six months or so as I am definitely NOT easy on my keyboards!! I always keep a spare one around which is good as the other day my Diet Coke spilled all over the one I was using. I thought I caught it early enough and got it all drained out, but nope, it was (and still remains) dead. So the spare I keep around does come in handy!! All in all, this is a great keyboard for those of us who type on a regular basis. My only complaint (and this is not with EVERY Microsoft 4000 I've purchased, only a few) is that there are times when the space bar is a bit sticky. I pound the keys so hard while I'm typing that I generally don't notice this, but I have had a few that I have noticed it on. Otherwise, all keys seem to depress well. The letters on the "common" keys do wear off around four or five months, but that is something I could care less about as I don't ever look at my keyboard when I'm transcribing (though those that attempt to use my keyboard have commented on it)!!
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Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2017
M
Verified Purchase
Michael
Chelsea, US
★★★★★ 5
Good keyboard but it takes time to adjust.
Color: Black, Color: Black
I had a prior version of this keyboard (the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 3000) for my office PC. It did admirably, but after a year or so, my wrists were starting to hurt IN SPITE OF the ergonomics helping. This one is better rated. So far, it has helped, but it took at least a week of use just for my hands to BEGIN to get used to the differences. I'd do a pro/con list, but I'm not sure there are any "cons" as compared to "issues to expect" if you buy this keyboard. 1. Expect a steep learning curve to get used to the layout. The "bend" in this keyboard is significant, and it will take time for your fingers to get used to hitting the right keys on a consistent basis. Give it one or two weeks of regular use before deciding if you like it or not. You can't know in a couple of days if it's helping you because you do need to re-learn your hand placement and fingering to some degree. 2. There is a physical break in the left and right hand keys. This "no man's land" means you need to unlearn using the wrong hand for the wrong keys because you will either miskey or just hit nothing when you go to use your right hand to it the G key (or a similar situation). Likewise, some of the keys have an odd shape that takes getting used to. I had considerable issue getting used to hitting V and B correctly. Again, this is all about relearning how to keyboard properly. My best tip is to avoid looking at the keyboard while typing. For me, looking at the keyboard made it harder compared to just backspacing and repeating until I got it right. Passwords are about the only thing where I still watch what keys I strike. 3. This keyboard is wider and "taller" than most. If you use a keyboard tray, clearing it might pose and issue (see next point below). You will likely have less room for your mouse as well, but I found it something I could live with. 4. The keyboard has three (maybe four) resting positions. There's a removable front skirt that elevates the front. There are the standard rear folding supports to elevate the rear. So, that's resting flat (none), rear elevated, front elevated, and both elevated. Lying flat, the keyboard works fine with my keyboard tray. Set the way I find it's most comfortable for me, I can only push the tray in halfway before the keyboard hits the desk. This isn't a deal breaker for me, so I'll live with it. You keyboard tray may need to allow at least 3 inches of vertical clearance to not have an issue with this keyboard. I was divided on four or five stars, but since I need this more extreme curve to deal with wrist pain, it's not the product's fault, so I won't hold the awkwardness of it against the designers. It does what it's designed to do for a good reason. That comes with a trade off.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2017
K
Verified Purchase
Kweagle
Bozeman, US
★★★★★ 4
I was glad I bought it until four or five months later...
Color: Black
I am now about a week and a half into using this keyboard. It is the first time I have used an ergonomic split keyboard. I am a medical transcriptionist and type for a living. At first I found it awkward, I kept reaching too far for some keys, and it seemed that I was always missing the right-sided home row by one key. Now I find that I'm not thinking about the keyboard at all, which means it is working well for me. I find the key "touch" to be a little on the firm side, which means that I occasionally miss a letter because I didn't push hard enough, but I think over time I will adjust to that, too. This keyboard does not "click" when you type, which means it is generally quiet. Personally, I prefer the clicking, but for work, I wear a headset and don't hear the keyboard at all, so this is not an issue. Of course, with the need to press the keys harder, there is more thumping than I think I would normally hear when I type. As far as the alignment, it seems excellent. I have rheumatoid arthritis, which is well controlled, but I still have some stiffness and loss of range of motion in my fingers and wrists, and the angles of the keyboard seem to be perfect for me, and I don't feel as much strain as I used to in my wrists after working all day. There is one thing I wish was included, and that is a lighted keyboard. I have never had one, but I have worn the letters off the keys of several keyboards, plus it would just be helpful to be able to see the keys more easily for those times when you don't have bright light or so your eyes don't have to adjust to dim lighting after staring at your bright monitor screen for a long period of time. After less than two weeks, I can already see shiny spots on the space bar and some of the most-used keys, so I know the letters will start wearing off soon. Not a big deal, but a lighted keyboard would be a really nice feature, perhaps an option that could be offered in the future. If you are considering this type of keyboard, I think it is worth the minor aggravation of needing some time to get used to it. My impression is that my hands and wrists will be thankful I made this purchase. UPDATE JULY 22, 2015: The keyboard started acting strangely yesterday morning, some keys not working at all, some keys creating the wrong letter or digit, and the period key seemed to be stuck. I tried to file a claim using the extended warranty, but because it was still under the manufacturer's warranty, they told me to contact Microsoft, and they gave me the wrong phone number for Microsoft. Microsoft wanted the keyboard to be shipped back to them in California, and they would send a replacement AFTER they received this one. I use the keyboard for work, and I don't have a week or more to wait for a replacement. I asked for my money back, which they agreed to do, BUT they then sent me on a wild goose chase trying to make that happen. It seemed that no one with Microsoft had any idea of how to help me and they didn't seem interested at all in helping me, although one person I spoke to at one of the wrong numbers I was given was very kind and helpful in spite of my anger and frustration (thanks, Sachin!), but he couldn't help me either, and he said I needed to contact Amazon. This was definitely NOT Amazon's problem, but you know what? They made it right. No arguments, no questions, no lengthy explanations, no making me feel like I was trying to take advantage of them. I asked for their help, and they apologized for the troubles I had experienced and sent a new keyboard. I have heard people complain about Amazon, but as far as I'm concerned, they are AWESOME. Microsoft and Square Trade Warranties not so much. This keyboard should have lasted longer than a few months, and Microsoft's customer service was horrible when I needed help, so when I have to purchase another keyboard, I probably won't buy another Microsoft product. That said, I have been very happy with the layout of the keyboard and I wish it hadn't malfunctioned so quickly.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2015

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