Hasta La Ideas

In 1961, Spanish industrial designer Rafael Marquina designed this no-drip oil cruet. In so doing, he solved a humble problem that had probably plagued users of oil since oil was invented.

The removable spout’s base is ground to a frosted finish, providing the friction to hold it in place when pouring. A small slot in the spout’s base allows oil to drip back into the vessel. The hourglass shape required to make this arrangement work also yields a handy place to grab the vessel.

“My father became obsessed with the idea of creating an oil cruet that would not drip,” says Marquina’s daughter Nani, “because my grandmother gave him a gentle blow on the head every time he let the oil drip and stain the tablecloth. Thanks to this frustration, his invention was born.”

Marquina won the Golden Delta Award for best industrial design, awarded by Spain’s ADI-FAD design association. His cruet, which provided “millions in sales,” swiftly became “one of the most copied objects of Spanish design,” according to his family.

Years later the humble Marquina, who passed away in 2013 after a long career, said of his design: “My vinegar bottles have no other value than their use. They are designed to solve problems.”

Nani Marquina is more effusive:

“It is the most perfect object that he has designed, but perhaps also the best that has ever been designed in Spain, the one that is recognized as an object with perfect harmony, with clear utility and functionality, which is not car, which has a certain beauty, and when you see it you know what it’s for.”

Today you can find many copies of the design, but the original is still produced and available here.