The original design of the 5070 cruet set called for two central pins welded to the base, on which oil and vinegar containers equipped with a central groove were to fit. The idea was shelved because it was not possible to make such bottles from glass. The pins thus passed on the outside, holding the bottles on their sides. Conceived for professional use - in the early 1970s, Alessi specialized in hotel supplies - the cruet set immediately stood out for its creator's unmistakable design language and quickly conquered the domestic sphere as well.
Ettore Sottsass
Born in Innsbruck in 1917, he is known the world over as one of the initiators of the revolution in architecture and design which led away from the rigid functionalism of the years prior to and following the Second World War. A great and influential Maestro of Italian design, the energy of his language and the vitality of his colour and line contrast sharply with any intellectualism and rigidity. He dies in December 2007.
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