Designer:  Attributed to Guido Gambone (1909 – 1969)

Item: Ashtray

Manufactured by: Raymor

Country of origin: Italy

Year made: 1960s

Materials: Ceramic

Dimensions:  1 ½” x 10” x 5 ½”

Description:  Guido Gambone is considered by many Italy’s greatest modern ceramic artist of the twentieth century.  We believe this beautiful ashtray was designed by Gambone for Raymor for export from Italy.  The interior glaze has a distinctive Gambone design and surface.  It has been documented that Gambone, and other important Italian artists such as Fantoni, designed ceramics for Raymor that were not signed and only bear the Raymor, Italy mark.  About ten years ago we saw a documented example of this ashtray with the Gambone mark so we are confident this his work.  We have also seen a few other trays in the same form, but with  a different glaze design bearing a Gambone mark.

Condition: Very good.  No chips or loss of glaze.  There is the usual glaze crazing consistent with other Gambone works we have seen of this period.  There are two very fine one inch hairlines on the exterior that do not go through the body of the tray.  When tapped there is no sound of a crack so these may have occurred during firing.