Collectible Tobacciana / Catchall Dish, Maurice of California, DL-701, MCM Orange & Yellow, California Pottery, Vintage 1960s

California, 1954. A man who survived everything built something bright and entirely his own.

• Maker: Maurice of California
• Model: DL-701
• Material: Ceramic, high-gloss glaze
• Dimensions: 14.375" point to point | 8.0" wide | 1.25" tall
• Era: Vintage, circa 1960s
• Origin: Los Angeles, USA
• Condition: Vintage used, average condition, priced accordingly. Two chips near grooves and two chips on underside; color wear at both end points. Please review photos closely before purchasing, as all sales are final.

Displays beautifully as a desk catchall, a sculptural shelf object, or a statement piece in a mid-century or retro interior. A wonderful find for a Maurice of California collector, a mid-century modern enthusiast, or anyone drawn to the bold color and form of California studio pottery.

This is a vintage Maurice of California ceramic piece, model DL-701 — a large, dramatically shaped Mid-Century Modern design in rings of bright orange, red, and yellow high-gloss glaze, with embossed floral and wave decorations at the two points. The form is pure California modernism at its most uninhibited: an elongated diamond shape, nearly 14.5 inches point to point, with bold concentric color rings that radiate outward like something between a sunburst and a pop art canvas. One point carries an embossed flower; the other, swirls and waves — both finished in the same high-shine glaze that gives the whole piece its vivid, confident presence. Marked on the base with the model number DL-701 and the Maurice of California name, faintly embossed in the clay. Confirmed genuine.

Maurice of California was founded in Los Angeles in 1954 by Maurice Pechman, a Polish immigrant and Holocaust survivor who came to America and built one of the most distinctive California pottery studios of the mid-century era. The company became known for its boldly designed, deeply retro ceramic wares — catchall dishes, candle holders, cookie jars — as well as imported pottery and glass from Europe and the Orient. Maurice ran the business until 1985. He passed in 2011.