Le Creuset - Enzo Mari - Casserole dish - No. 17 - source, Enamel

Covered casserole Le Creuset France No. 17, iconic model “La Mama,” designed in the early 1970s by the famous Italian designer Enzo Mari.

A piece particularly interesting for fans of Italian design, industrial design, and vintage Le Creuset items, with its highly recognizable silhouette, its domed lid, its integrated pouring spout, and its long wooden handle.

The saucepan features a magnificent Basque red / red-orange color, with a very beautiful glossy exterior enamel, remarkably preserved. The whole is completed by an elegant teak handle, mounted with copper-toned metal elements, as well as a black lid knob.

The underside bears the characteristic LE CREUSET – MADE IN FRANCE marking, with the reference mark visible on the cast.

Characteristics
Brand: Le Creuset
Designer: Enzo Mari
Collection: La Mama
Era: 1970s
Manufacture: France
Material: enameled cast iron
Color: Basque red / red-orange
Interior: crème enamel
Lid: included
Handle: teak wood and solid copper metal elements
Spout: yes

Dimensions:
-Total length with handle: 32 cm
-Diameter: 18.5 cm
-Width with spout: 20 cm
-Height without lid: 7.5 cm
-Height with lid: 12 cm
-Weight: about 2.8 kg

Condition
Very good overall condition for a vintage piece.
The exterior enamel has retained a beautiful shine and strong color intensity. The interior is also well preserved and fully functional, with only a slight dull area related to use and age, visible in the photographs.

The teak handle shows natural marks and patina corresponding to its age.
No particular restoration to report. The piece retains all its authenticity and vintage character.
The detailed photographs are an integral part of the description.

Enzo Mari and the La Mama series
Enzo Mari (1932-2020) is one of the great names in 20th-century Italian design. His approach rested on a quest for simplicity, functionality, and an aesthetic free from superfluity.
In the early 1970s, Le Creuset asked Enzo Mari to design a new line. La Mama was presented in 1972 and marketed from 1973, becoming one of the brand’s most original collaborations.

Mari designed utensils with generous, rounded shapes, domed lids, pouring spouts, and distinctive handles. The silhouette thus combines the minimalist aesthetics of Italian design with the robustness of Le Creuset’s enameled cast iron. The collection is today sought after by 20th-century design enthusiasts.

This casserole is thus much more than a simple cooking utensil: it is a true piece of 1970s design, born from the meeting of two emblematic know-how.

Le Creuset
Founded in 1925 in Fresnoy-le-Grand, in the Hauts-de-France region, Le Creuset has established itself as an international reference in enameled cast iron. The French house has regularly collaborated with great designers, including Raymond Loewy, Enzo Mari and Jean-Louis Barrault, making some of its pieces true design objects.

The La Mama series holds a special place in this history: it perfectly illustrates Le Creuset’s aim to combine culinary performance, the robustness of cast iron, and aesthetic research.

Protective and particularly careful shipping.
Best regards.