The Chinese Year of the Ox begins on 12th February, so to start 2021, here is a piece from my collection of mid-century ceramics, a very decorative modernist stylised cow by Aldo Londi of Bitossi, in Rimini Blu with incised patterns. Not quite an ox but fairly close.
It’s been some time since I posted in February 2017, just after the election of Donald Trump, when I chose a DeSimone rooster bottle, which I thought was symbolic of the Year of the Rooster and of the man. Shocking as that election was, I don’t think many of us could have foreseen the chaos which would ensue in the USA and around the world in the following years.
I’m hoping this lovely ceramic ‘ox’ will herald a brighter year ahead. The ox is characterised as grounded, loyal and trustworthy, a symbol of hard work, positivity and honesty, diligence and gratitude. It is seen as altruistic as it serves mankind – all attributes desperately needed in these difficult times and perhaps a symbol of hope after a terrible year. I think the majority of us will have been glad to see the back of 2020, the Year of the Rat.
Bitossi Cow, Italy, Aldo Londi for Bitossi of Montelupo, Italy.
Unsigned, 1950/60s
15cm long x 9cm tall
Ref: RC104
Retromode 