Sugar bowl

Manufacturer Cleto Munari Italian

1980

Not on view

Although trained as an architect, Bellini is known less for his buildings than for his product designs; he is one of the most influential Italian designers working today. This sugar bowl, part of a tea and coffee service prototype for the silversmith Cleto Munari, reveals Bellini's strong architectural background. All elements of the prototype are reduced to minimal geometry: squares, circles, cylinders, a hemisphere. The abstract severity of the individual pieces is offset by the richness of the materials, and the overall effect is monumental. The tea- and coffeepots, set within palisades of rose-quartz columns, call to mind the peristyles of circular Roman temples. Postmodernist designers customarily refer to a classical past through the use of historical detail. Bellini, however, suggests the discipline of classical architecture through form alone, without using any sort of conventional ornament. For more information on the individual pieces, refer to MMA 1990.96.2, MMA 1990.96.3ab, and 1990.91.4ab.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

Title: Sugar bowl
Designer: Mario Bellini (Italian, born Milan, 1935)
Manufacturer: Cleto Munari (Italian, born Gorizia 1930)
Date: 1980
Medium: Silverplate and rose quartz
Dimensions: 4 5/8 × 4 5/8 × 2 1/2 in. (11.7 × 11.7 × 6.4 cm)
Classification: Metalwork-Silver
Credit Line: Gift of Cleto Munari, 1990
Object Number: 1990.96.1
Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

By Mario Bellini

By Cleto Munari

From the same time and place

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

Teapot and holder, Mario Bellini Italian, Silverplate and rose quartz — Teapot and holder
Mario Bellini
Cleto Munari
1980

Creamer, Mario Bellini Italian, Silverplate — Creamer
Mario Bellini
Cleto Munari
1980

Coffee pot and holder, Mario Bellini Italian, Silver and rose quartz — Coffee pot and holder
Mario Bellini
Cleto Munari
1980

Model for Autogrill S.p.A., Milan

Mario Bellini

1989

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.