Bitossi Rimini Blu Cat "Gatto"

Aldo Londi’s Gatto is less a portrait of a cat than a clever exercise in shape and perspective. Designed for Bitossi in 1956, its elongated body ends in an unusually flat head with an almost two-dimensional face.

The face appears on both sides. Turn the Cat around and it continues to look into the room, making left and right equally valid display positions. This simple visual joke gives the restrained figure much of its personality.

Hand-impressed geometric motifs animate the ceramic body beneath a brilliant crystalline glaze. The textured surface shifts between turquoise, marine blue and deep cobalt as the light changes.

At 18 centimetres long, Gatto is an ideal companion to Londi’s Rimini Blu Dachshund. Together they form a witty pair; displayed alone, the Cat becomes an intriguing small sculpture.

Each figure is decorated and glazed by hand in Italy. Natural variations in colour and finish ensure that every Gatto is individual.

Designer: Aldo Londi

Designed: 1956

Manufacturer: Bitossi Ceramiche

Collection: Rimini Blu

Archive number: 037

Material: White refractory clay, hand-decorated and glazed