Giò Ponti, Rare Glazed Tile Penholder, Incentive at Opening De Bijenkorf, 1969

This penholder is a rare collectors item. It was an incentive for the personnel of Department Store 'De Bijenkorf' in Eindhoven, at the opening of their new building in March 1969. Both the building and the penholder were designed by the Italian architect Giò Ponti. For the spectacular 'De Bijenkorf' façade Giò Ponti designed a 3-dimensional tile in different shades of green. It is said that Ponti got his inspiration for this lively façade during a stay in The Netherlands, looking over the water-lined green landscape and impressed by the windows of the canal houses. The penholder is made of one of those glazed tiles that Ponti also used for the façade. It has a brass mounting with the inscription: 'Eindhoven 18 maart 1969' and the 'De Bijenkorf' logo. (De Bijenkorf is a department store comparable with Selfridges in London.) The penholder was manufractured by Ceramica Joo.