Alessi Circus Spice Jars by Marcel Wanders

The Alessi Circus Spice Jars, designed by Marcel Wanders, turn a practical kitchen container into a small piece of theatrical product design. Sold as a set of two, the jars combine transparent silk-screen glass with red-and-white striped tinplate lids, gold-coloured finials and carousel-horse decoration. Their visual language belongs unmistakably to the circus, yet the underlying form remains simple and useful.

Alessi introduced the spice jar set in 2019 as model MW68S2. Each jar measures 12 centimetres high and 5.3 centimetres in diameter, with a capacity of 14 centilitres. The hermetic lids are intended to help retain the freshness and aroma of spices. These specifications distinguish the two-piece set from the larger Circus kitchen boxes, which began production in 2016 and were offered in four capacities.

Marcel Wanders and the Alessi Circus collection

Dutch designer Marcel Wanders developed the Circus collection for Alessi between 2016 and 2019. The project extended across tableware, kitchen accessories, storage containers and a group of sculptural objects. Throughout the collection, Wanders drew on the visual culture of the big top: radial stripes, diamonds, circles, stars, gold accents and the silhouettes of circus performers and animals.

The approach suited Alessi’s long-standing interest in making everyday household objects expressive. Rather than disguising the function of a bowl, tray or container, the decoration gives familiar forms a heightened personality. Bright red, yellow, black and white patterns alternate with reflective or transparent surfaces, creating a family resemblance across objects of different sizes and purposes.

The everyday Circus range should not be confused with the collection’s separate limited-edition sculptures. Wanders reimagined familiar kitchen tools as characters including the Strongman, Jester, Ballerina, Ringleader and Candyman. Those numbered pieces occupy a different category from the regularly produced spice jars. The MW68S2 set is a functional kitchen accessory, not one of the limited-edition character objects.

Carousel imagery in the Circus spice jar design

The spice jars focus on the merry-go-round rather than the circus performer. White carousel horses circle the cylindrical glass walls, accompanied by vertical marks that suggest poles and movement. The transparent glass keeps the contents visible, so colour and texture from spices become part of the composition.

Above the glass body, the lid resembles a miniature fairground canopy. Alternating red and white sections rise toward a small gold-coloured sphere. This finial provides a convenient point for lifting the lid while also recalling the ornament placed at the centre of a carousel roof or circus tent. Function and symbolism occupy the same compact detail.

The design works because its references are legible without overwhelming the jar’s basic geometry. The cylindrical body remains visually light, while the decorated lid supplies most of the colour and volume. When placed together, the two matching jars create repetition like paired architectural elements. When mixed with other Circus pieces, they participate in a more varied landscape of stripes and geometric motifs.

Materials, dimensions and everyday function

The jars use silk-screen printing to place the pale carousel motif on the glass. Unlike an applied label, this method integrates the decoration with the vessel’s surface while preserving transparency. The tinplate lid supplies a contrasting material and supports the shaped canopy form. A hermetic closure makes the jars suitable for spices and other small quantities of dry ingredients whose character depends on limiting exposure to air.

At 14 centilitres, the jars are compact rather than general-purpose storage vessels. Their narrow diameter allows them to sit comfortably on a shelf or worktop without occupying the space required by the larger Circus kitchen boxes. The clear body also makes it easier to identify contents at a glance, although labelling may still be useful when similarly coloured spices are stored together.

Alessi identifies the set as made in China. This is consistent with the company’s practice of designing, developing and quality-controlling its products in Italy while entrusting selected production to specialist international partners. The object therefore belongs to Italian design culture through Alessi’s authorship and product direction, while its designer is Dutch and its manufacturing origin is stated separately.

How the spice jars differ from the Circus kitchen boxes

The resemblance between Alessi’s Circus containers can cause confusion. The earlier kitchen boxes, model series MW30, also use silk-screen glass and hermetic tinplate lids with striped fairground-canopy decoration. However, Alessi offered those individual jars in four capacities—50, 75, 100 and 150 centilitres. Their larger dimensions make them suitable for a broader range of dry food storage.

The MW68S2 spice jars form a distinct 2019 product: two matching 14-centilitre containers with carousel horses printed around the glass. The current product packaging and Alessi catalogue identify them as a set. Describing the spice jars as being available in four sizes therefore merges the specifications of two related but separate designs.

Decorative storage as contemporary product design

Many storage containers aim for visual neutrality. Wanders takes the opposite approach. The Circus spice jars are designed to remain visible and to contribute colour, narrative and humour to the kitchen. This does not make function secondary; instead, the familiar ritual of opening a spice jar becomes an opportunity for interaction with a carefully composed object.

The jars also demonstrate how decorative arts and industrial product design can overlap. Their manufacture depends on repeatable materials and processes, but their appeal comes from pattern, symbolism and emotional association. The carousel imagery evokes movement and spectacle even when the jars are stationary. In this way, Wanders uses ornament as an active part of the user experience rather than as an addition applied after the functional problem has been solved.

The Alessi Circus spice jars in context

The Alessi Circus Spice Jars are a concise expression of the wider collection. Their shapes are straightforward, their capacity is suited to a defined task, and their hermetic lids provide the necessary closure. Against this functional base, Wanders introduces a miniature carousel through silk-screen horses, striped canopies and gold-coloured finials.

The result is neither purely ornamental nor conventionally minimal. It reflects an approach in which usefulness and delight are treated as complementary design values. For collectors of Alessi or admirers of Marcel Wanders, the set offers an accessible example of the Circus project’s themes. For everyday users, it remains a pair of compact, identifiable containers intended for spices.

See the official Alessi product record, explore Marcel Wanders’ Circus collection, or view the Alessi Circus Spice Jars on Amazon.

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