Roberto Rigon, marked “RR,” 27 cm

There are vases that look sculptural, and then there are sculptures which happen to be vases — and this late 70s piece in “Sasso” decor by Roberto Rigon is certainly the latter. With its two strange, alien-looking forms inclining toward one another, a sprayed-on glaze resembling granite, and color tastefully arrayed like jewelry, it demands your attention and consideration. While Rigon produced other modernist forms like this one, it appears as though the more popular “Sasso” pieces were animals such as lions, rhinos, and cats. They’re interesting, if a touch mundane (a lion is a lion, after all). But this piece? Depending on the viewer, it changes meaning — quite a feat for a vase.