Ingrid Donat x Ginori 1735

A Sculptural Dialogue Between Art and Porcelain

Ginori 1735 unveiled an extraordinary new chapter in its ongoing Ginori Arte project through a remarkable collaboration with French sculptor Ingrid Donat. The partnership combines Donat’s distinctive sculptural language with Ginori’s centuries-old expertise in porcelain to create Maya. This tactile, sensorial tableware collection blurs the boundaries between functional design and collectable art.

This collaboration marks the first time Donat’s work has been translated into porcelain, opening a new dialogue between artist and material. Each piece is born from an intimate conversation between Donat’s sculptural sensibility and the Florentine Manifattura’s savoir-faire, reflecting the shared pursuit of artistry and craftsmanship that defines both creative worlds.

Sculptural Language Meets Porcelain

For over three centuries, Ginori 1735 has embodied the pinnacle of Italian porcelain artistry; a brand synonymous with elegance, creativity, and craftsmanship. Through Ginori Arte, the Maison seeks to explore new intersections between art and design, collaborating with leading contemporary artists who expand the narrative of what porcelain can represent.

Ingrid Donat’s creative universe, rooted in texture, tactility, and ritual, finds a new dimension in this collaboration. Known for her bronze sculptures and decorative objects imbued with engraved motifs, Donat’s practice is a study of form and surface, often referencing scarification techniques as both aesthetic and symbolic gestures.

Translating this distinctive language into porcelain required exceptional technical expertise. The artisans at the Manifattura di Doccia, Ginori 1735’s historic production site near Florence, worked closely with Donat to interpret her patterns and markings into a new material. The result is a sculptural collection that captures the artist’s essence while showcasing the expressive potential of porcelain as a medium.

The Maya Collection: Ritual, Texture and Form

The Maya collection embodies Donat’s belief that art should be lived with and experienced daily. Composed of five sculpted plate designs: flat, soup, dessert, and bread plates, each piece is handcrafted in ivory-white porcelain, its surface etched with delicate, rhythmic markings. These engraved patterns echo Donat’s signature style in bronze, now reimagined in a material of luminous delicacy.

Beyond the porcelain tableware, Donat enhances the sensory experience with a range of complementary elements, including crystal wine glasses, polished silver cutlery, and bronze accessories such as napkin rings, candle holders, place cards, and leather underplates. Together, these pieces form a holistic and harmonious dining tableau; a sculptural mise-en-scène that merges function with artful ritual.

Each surface invites touch. The engraved textures catch the light in subtle ways, transforming everyday dining into a tactile and emotional encounter. Natural tones, such as soft ivory, enhance the collection’s sensorial depth, creating an atmosphere that feels both modern and timeless; elegant yet intensely human.

“My art stems from the desire to live through what I create,” Donat explains. “This collaboration with Ginori 1735 has inspired me to translate my language into a new, more intimate, more ritualistic form. The porcelain surprised me – it is a pure but extremely expressive material, and the Manifattura treated it with poetic care.”

Craftsmanship and Collaboration

The partnership between Ingrid Donat and Ginori 1735 is more than a meeting of aesthetics; it is an encounter between two worlds defined by craftsmanship, tradition, and innovation.

Donat, represented exclusively by Carpenters Workshop Gallery, has long been associated with the functional art movement, a realm where sculpture meets design and the object becomes both expressive and utilitarian. Her pieces, often crafted from bronze and wood, feature motifs of memory, heritage, and the human form.

At Ginori’s Manifattura, artisans applied centuries-old porcelain techniques to interpret Donat’s vision with extraordinary precision. Each piece in the Maya collection reflects a shared devotion to material excellence and creative experimentation; a perfect synthesis of artistic vision and Italian savoir-faire.

The result is a tableware collection that feels both sculptural and practical, poetic yet everyday; a rare blend that exemplifies Ginori 1735’s mission to bring art into daily life.

Ingrid Donat: A Sculptor Between Worlds

Ingrid Donat stands among the most influential artists in contemporary decorative arts. Born in France to a Swedish mother and a father from Réunion Island, her multicultural heritage informs a body of work that bridges diverse traditions, materials, and narratives.

Her distinctive aesthetic draws on the French decorative arts, the symbolism of African and Oceanic cultures, and the modernist spirit of 20th-century design. Donat’s bronze furniture and sculptural objects often explore ritual and memory through intricate surface markings; motifs that connect the physical and emotional worlds.

She has developed a language that feels both timeless and deeply personal, blending craftsmanship with cultural storytelling. Her work has been exhibited at major art and design fairs worldwide, with pieces held in private collections that recognise her as a leading figure in the evolution of collectable design.

Represented by Carpenters Workshop Gallery, with spaces in London, Paris, New York and Los Angeles, Donat continues to shape the dialogue between sculpture and function, and this collaboration with Ginori 1735 further cements her status as an artist who transforms materials into emotion.

Ginori 1735: Three Centuries of Artistic Excellence

Founded in 1735 near Florence, Ginori 1735 is one of the world’s most distinguished porcelain manufacturers, representing the enduring legacy of Italian craftsmanship. Acquired by the Kering Group in 2013, the brand continues to thrive as a global leader in luxury porcelain and lifestyle design, combining tradition with a forward-thinking creative vision.

At the heart of Ginori 1735 lies the Manifattura di Doccia, a unique site where artisans and designers collaborate to shape the future of porcelain. This workshop embodies a philosophy of “modern Renaissance,” where centuries-old techniques meet contemporary innovation.

Ginori’s collaborations span the worlds of art, fashion, architecture, and design, involving creative figures who share the brand’s passion for aesthetic exploration. From limited-edition tableware to bespoke interiors and hospitality projects, Ginori’s work continues to celebrate the artistry of everyday life.

Today, the Maison’s creations are found in boutiques across Florence, Milan, Paris, Seoul, and London, as well as in leading department stores and luxury hotels worldwide. Through its partnerships and e-commerce platform, Ginori 1735 brings its exquisite craftsmanship to a global audience, continuing to redefine how porcelain can be experienced in modern living.

All photography: ©Hype_Studio courtesy of Carpenters Workshop Gallery

A New Chapter in Collectable Design

The collaboration between Ingrid Donat and Ginori 1735 marks a milestone in the dialogue between art and design, celebrating craftsmanship, creativity, and the tactile beauty of materials.

By translating Donat’s sculptural language into porcelain, Ginori has not only expanded the expressive potential of its craft but also reaffirmed its position at the forefront of contemporary collectable design.

Maya is not just a tableware collection; it is a sensory experience, a convergence of touch, form, and ritual that transforms the act of dining into an artful gesture. It invites us to slow down, to appreciate the intimacy of materials, and to rediscover beauty in the everyday.

As Donat’s engraved patterns meet Ginori’s porcelain mastery, the result is a poetic fusion of heritage and modernity, craft and concept, object and emotion; a true reflection of what it means to live with art.

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