Mid-Century Graphite Glazed Ceramic Vase W/ Fish Motif signed Antonio Prieto

This reserved yet highly detailed Mid-Century Modernist Graphite Glazed Ceramic Vase W/ Fish Motif signed Antonio Prieto originates from the United States, C. 1950. Features a rounded body with a swooping taper at the neck, then expanding again forming an attractive top element and mouth of the vase. The surface is glazed with two distinct hues of grey, dark over light, with incised textural detailing revealing the lighter hue beneath the darker, creating a serene and smokey graphic effect throughout the piece. Fish are depicted facing down as though displayed at market, minimal and abstract in their rendering. Antonio Prieto (1912 – March 11, 1967) was an influential American ceramic artist and a professor of art at Mills College in Oakland, California. He played a key role in establishing a significant ceramics collection for the Mills College Art Museum. Born in Valdepeñas, Spain on August 23, 1912, Prieto died in Oakland on March 11, 1967. Signed "Prieto" on the undersurface of the vase. This piece is an excellent example of Prieto's practice and the finest ceramic pieces from the 20th Century, and will style beautifully in a wide array of spaces and settings, from Mid-Century Modernist to Contemporary and Minimal Interiors. In Excellent Vintage Condition.