Ilkra: This unusual vase was made by Ilkra in 1963 and designed by K.Schwebsch as part of the "Panorama" series (believed to include 5 vases, each representing a continent). It features a wide variety of motifs that capture various aspects of US life and history. I'm not sure if any of the motifs are aimed at the rest of North America. The primary image is the Statue of Liberty, but there are also musicians, baseball players, cowboys and cows, arrows, a teepee, oil rigs, someone basking beneath a palm tree and several other images. Shape number is 1033. This is a rather hard item to find as well as neat. (Thanks to Volker Hornbostel and Ralf Schumann for information on this one....a tricky attribution.)
Size: Height is about 10".
Price: $150 plus shipping and insurance.
Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote.
Condition: is very good. However, there is a tiny glaze flake on the rim and one under the vase. Neither is significant and could be easily taken care of if you feel the need. Of course, all our sales are fully guaranteed.
This West German pottery vase is from the Panorama series by Ilkra. The "goal" is to capture the essence of a continent on a single vase...to the degree it can be done with so few images. This is shape 2010, and the continent to be "captured" is Asia. Yeah, you'd have a better chance of winning a game of RISK capturing Asia first, but it's a good try with the rice paddies and bird hunting. Size: Height is about 8".
Price: $125 plus shipping and insurance.
Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote.
Condition: excellent with no damage, no repairs...fully guaranteed.
Jasba: This West German pottery floor vase is by Jasba. The primary decor looks like tiger stripes at first but is probably better described as treebark. It's a rather exotic look, but the subdued coloring keeps it from being garish. The Greek Key design around the top provides a nice accent as well as a touch from an earlier style. This is a difficult decor to find. Shape is 1620.
Price: $295 plus shipping and insurance.
Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote.
Size: Height is about 18".
Condition: very good with just a tiny glaze flake (pictured)...fully guaranteed.
Jasba: This Jasba vase reflects some of the styling in the early part of the West German pottery era when it still reflected more of the pre-war coloring. Date is circa 1958.
Price: $65 plus shipping/insurance.
Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote.
Size: Height is about 10".
Condition: excellent with no damage, no repairs...fully guaranteed.
Jasba: This West German pottery vase is by Jasba in the Cortina glaze. The design features a dark brown underglaze with a white, curdled top glaze. The white actually has just a hint of a green tone. This is fairly early in the West German era since it was introduced in 1956.
Price: $85 plus shipping and insurance.
Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote.
Size: Height is about 9".
Condition: excellent with no damage, no repairs...fully guaranteed.
Jasba: This vase is from Jasba with a harder to find yellow version of the Cortina glaze from the 1950s. It's a striking look, especially in this larger size. This is fairly early in the West German era since it was introduced in 1956.
Price: $45 plus shipping and insurance.
Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote.
Size: Height is about 10".
Condition: is good, but there is a fairly shallow chip right at the base. The good news is that with this glaze and clay, the chip is much less noticeable. See the detail picture....fully guaranteed.
Jasba: This dainty piece of mid century German pottery has the classic Jaspatina glaze introduced by Jasba in 1955, almost certainly inspired by the Japanese kintsugi repair method. Shape is 68.
Items in the 4-6" range aren't too difficult to find, but this is the less common and utterly cute, version of the wallpocket, featuring a well-proportioned asymmetrical top edge and the definitive gold streaks.
Price: $60 plus shipping and insurance.
Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote.
Size: Height is about 3", and widest point is about 2 5/8".
Condition: excellent with no damage, no repairs...fully guaranteed.
Jasba: This mid century German pottery wallpocket was made by Jasba, probably in the late 1950s. At first look, the decor appears to be an uncommon variation on the Jaspatina glaze, but that's not quite accurate. The primary glaze is cream or beige with the red glaze evidently sponged on to create a mottled effect that allows some of the underglaze to show through, and this mottled area is outlined in gold. The patterning of the decoration looks like Jaspatina, but the gold decoration is airbrushed, not fired like the gold in Jaspatina. Shape number is 60.
Most gold-rimmed items from this era are airbrushed since it's a much easier method. This is probably a special line, possibly made under contract for a particular outlet, designed to be a lower cost version of their own line.
Dimensions: Height about 4 1/2".
Condition: is very good with no damage to the pottery and just a slight "burn" in the glaze.Price: $35 plus shipping and insurance.
J-D Klinker: A few years ago, very little was known about the "klinker" companies except for Sawa, Eiwa, and some D&B items, but it turns out that a wide variety of companies produced these high-fired "brick" clay items. While I first attributed this one to Sawa, it's actually by a company called J-D Klinker....but little is known about the company so far. Date is likely to be in the 1960s. Shape number is 44.
The vase is hand thrown with incised decoration.Dimensions: Height is about 17" with a diameter of about 8".
Condition: excellent with no damage or repairs.....fully guaranteed.
Price: $325 plus shipping and insurance.
Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote.
Kuch: This volcanic glazed vase was hand made by the well known German studio pottery team of Wilhelm and Ely Kuch, as indicated by the mark.The vase is hand thrown.
Price: $95 plus shipping and insurance.
Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote.
Size: Height is about 7" with a diameter of about 5 1/4".
Condition: excellent with no damage, no repairs...fully guaranteed.
Lausitzer: This vase is attributed to the East German company Lausitzer, but it's by no means a firm identification as yet. The base glaze is a rich, lightly textured brown, and the texture makes me think it's actually a salt glaze. It's decorated with a slip glaze design in a chocolate brown, and the decoration is unusually well-applied by a very steady hand.
There are incised numbers on the bottom, but the size difference makes it unclear whether or not it's actually a 3 number sequence. At any rate, the numbers are 1 7 4.
Price: $85 plus shipping and insurance.
Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote.
Size: Height is about 9" and max diameter about 4".
Condition: excellent with no damage, no repairs...fully guaranteed.
Liebenthron: This is small jug is by German studio pottery Gerhard Liebenthron, who has been making excellent ceramics since the 1950s. This example is signed and dated 1999. Although the blue background is well known in this glaze series, it's harder to find than the tan/brown background.
Price: $50 plus shipping and insurance.
Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote.
Size: misplaced....will have to get the vase unpacked and remeasure...about, but the mug shot gives an idea.
Condition: excellent with no damage, no repairs...fully guaranteed.
List: This German studio pottery vase is signed List plus a rubric. My guesses are that one is the artist and one the studio, or one is the pottery and the other the glaze artist, but I've had no luck with identification or date. The German attribution is from the person in Germany that I bought it from, but even that is a guess. The decor features alternating incised fish images.
Price: $145 plus shipping and insurance.
Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote.
Size: Height is about 9" and max diameter about 7".
Condition: excellent with no damage, no repairs...fully guaranteed.
Marzi & Remy: Here's an example of West German pottey that you won't find often or easily. The "Poesie" design is incised and hand painted, much like the Ruscha "Engobe" series but in a matte glaze rather than with enamel, although the raised dots in the decoration are enamel. Another uncommon feature is that this series is artist signed by a known Marzi & Remy decorator (and maybe designer), M. L. Spangenburg. This series tended to feature Spanish scenes in keeping with the 1950s desire to think of more exotic, romantic, or peaceful scenes than the still remaining ruins and memories of WWII.
Shape is 1061 with a height designation of 30cm.
Price: $250 plus shipping and insurance.
Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote.
Size: Height is about 12".
Condition: excellent with no damage and no repairs. There is a glaze anomaly with two patches of glossy agate glaze, part of which flows over the decoration. I don't know how it happened except that it's in the making. Of course, all our sales are fully guaranteed.
Marzi & Remy: This Marzi & Remy vase has a fairly classic form with a "shriveled" or "curdled" glaze similar to the well known Jasba "Cortina" glaze, but this M&R has fairly extensive geometric decor in pastel blue and yellow as well, quietly impressive. Estimated date is 1958.
Price: $145 plus shipping and insurance.
Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote.
Size: Height is about 7 1/4" and max diameter about 5".
Condition: excellent with no damage, no repairs...fully guaranteed.
Otto Keramik: This is smaller version of this form from Otto Keramik and the harder one to find, especially with this fascinating and varied purple glaze, more evidence that Otto Gerharz Sr. was a glaze master.
Price: $125 plus shipping and insurance.
Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote.
Size: Height is about 4 1/4" and max diameter about 3".
Condition: excellent with no damage, no repairs...fully guaranteed.
Otto Keramik: Although the form is a well-known Otto Keramik shape, this is an unusual example both in size and glaze. The glaze is primarily black on black, matte and semi-matte, which makes the varied texture of the drip quite subtle. For a bit of color, there's a red underglaze that shows through mostly at the shoulder and neck, some gloss, some more matte. While not the bold style often associated with W. German work, the subtle control of the glaze is very much in keeping with work by Otto Gerharz. It's a quietly strong piece and has the felt bottom to be expected on Otto items.
Price: $250 plus shipping and insurance.
Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote.
Size: Height is about 13".
Condition: excellent with no damage, no repairs...fully guaranteed.
Otto Keramik: This is a known, though not common, Otto glaze, and the bottom has the felt typical of Otto, but I have not seen this shape before. It is, not surprisingly quite well done. The flattened opening gives it a mid century modern look, not quite a UFO form but a mix between UFO and traditional. Glaze isn't fat lava in my opinion but is slightly "thick", not fat, just a bit overweight.
Price: $125 plus shipping and insurance.
Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote.
Size: Height is about 5 1/4" with a diameter of about 3 1/2".
Condition: excellent with no damage, no repairs...fully guaranteed.
Otto Keramik: This West German pottery vase is a classic mid century form and glaze from Otto Keramik. The studio was owned by Otto Gerharz, and he did the glaze work while Kurt Tschörner designed most of the forms. That put two of the best in their fields working closely together, and the results were excellent.
This version features a difficult glaze to describe. The color is light lavender with subtle variations in shade flowing throughout. The interior glaze is a perfectly contrasting yellow. It's an excellent example of an uncommon glaze.
Price: $135 plus shipping and insurance.
Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote.
Size: Height is about 6 1/2".
Condition: excellent with no damage, no repairs...fully guaranteed.
Otto Keramik: This ball vase was made by Otto Keramik. Glazes were done by Otto Gerharz, and forms were by Kurt Tschörner, two masters working closely with great results. This mauve and gray glaze was done in both this matte or satin version and in gloss. Estimate on the date is 1970s.
Price: $50 plus shipping and insurance.
Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote.
Size: Height is about 8".
Condition: excellent with no damage, no repairs...fully guaranteed.
Otto Keramik: This bottle-vase was made by Otto Keramik, owned by Otto Gerharz. Gerharz did the glazes, while Kurt Tschörner designed most of the forms, putting two greats in close collaboration with terrific results. This is the gloss version of this pink/mauve and gray glaze, also done in a satin/semi-matte version. This is one of the better examples I've seen.
Something about this glaze really seems to disturb our camera, and the shots are not crisp, particularly in some of the grays. The glaze is significantly better than the pictures, but I'll keep working on that.
Price: $75 plus shipping and insurance.
Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote.
Size: Height is about 6".
Condition: excellent with no damage, no repairs...fully guaranteed.
Otto Keramik: Otto Keramik definitely did numerous variations on bottle and jug forms, especially jugs, so this shape is not difficult to find. However, as with most Otto forms, the proportions are good, making a simple form surprisingly attractive. The glaze is easy to overlook simply because it's gray, but don't be fooled by that. It's a quietly complex, enjoyable glaze, as with many of the often uncommon, currently lesser known Otto glazes. As with many Otto glazes, the "decoration" includes glaze "fissures". As a side note, some of the West German pottery "jug" forms appear to be based on ancient Greek pottery, as are some other shapes, but just why they were so fond of such shapes remains unclear.
Price: $85 plus shipping and insurance.
Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote.
Size: Height is about 5 1/2".
Condition: excellent with no damage, no repairs...fully guaranteed.
Otto Keramik: This jug was made by Otto Keramik. Glazes were designed by owner Otto Gerharz, while most shapes were designed by Kurt TschUorner, putting two top designers in close collaboration with great results. This is the gloss version of this pink/mauve and gray glaze, which was also done in a satin or semi-matte version. The "typewriter" label was the first label style used, this is a relatively early piece, say late1960s.
Price: $75 plus shipping and insurance.
Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote.
Size: Height is about 6".
Condition: excellent with no damage, no repairs...fully guaranteed.
Otto Keramik: This simple, squat jug has become a favorite Otto form for me, and they certainly did a variety of jug forms. This appears to be one that's available in a wide variety of glazes, many of which are fairly difficult to find. This has a thick red drip over a mottled gray with white specks. The glaze name may be "granite" (spelled granat or granit in German). Otto currently makes a red over white drip with that name, but I can't confirm that this was an earlier version with the same name. Such was suggested to me several years ago, but I haven't found confirmation. Of course, that doesn't affect the aesthetics, only the language. With or without a glaze name, it's a very strong piece.
Price: $115 plus shipping and insurance.
Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote.
Size: Height is about 6" with a diameter about 4 1/2".
Condition: excellent with no damage, no repairs...fully guaranteed.
Otto Keramik: Otto Keramik definitely did numerous variations on bottle and jug forms, especially jugs, Otto Keramik made this form with and without a handle, as W. German pottery companies often liked to do. The form is simple but well-proportioned. The glaze is complex in very subtle ways, something Otto Gerharz did just as well as he did creating the overtly striking volcanic glazes, some of the best fat lava made.
This vase is a bit unusual because the base is concave rather than flat, but such is not unknown with Otto, just unusual. You can also see the remains of the early Otto label, just glue residue.
Price: $65 plus shipping and insurance.
Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote.
Size: Height is about 6".
Condition: excellent with no damage, no repairs...fully guaranteed.
Otto Keramik: Otto Keramik definitely did numerous variations on bottle and jug forms, especially jugs, so this shape is not difficult to find. The glaze itself isn't overly uncommon for that matter, but the trick is finding the ones that turned out best. I think that this is one of those, with good variation and coloring. (Some seem to turn out too "flat".) As a side note, some of the West German pottery "jug" forms appear to be based on ancient Greek pottery, as are some other shapes, but just why they were so fond of such shapes remains unclear.
Price: $65 plus shipping and insurance.
Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote.
Size: Height is about 6".
Condition: excellent with no damage, no repairs...fully guaranteed.
Otto Keramik: This squat jug form is from Otto Keramik. Glazes were done by Otto Gerharz, while most forms were by Kurt Tschörner, a great team. This jug features a blue underglaze with a thick, flowing blue and white drip, although I wouldn't consider it thick enough to put it into the fat lava category. Still, it's uncommon and interesting with subtle touches, the kind of glaze you should expect from Gerharz, a glaze master.
Price: $85 plus shipping and insurance.
Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote.
Size: Height is about 5 1/2".
Condition: excellent with no damage, no repairs...fully guaranteed.
Otto Keramik: This classic mid-century shape was produced at the Otto Keramik studio with the glaze by Otto Gerharz and form by Kurt Tschörner. The glaze is a soft gray and white with the incised lines that were popular at the time. The bottom has the typical felt, and if you went to all the trouble of removing it, all you'd find is a white base.
Price: $65 plus shipping and insurance.
Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote.
Size: Height is about 9 3/4" with a maximum diameter of about 6".
Condition: very good, but it has picked up a minor flake on the base, that I need to photograph. All sales are fully guaranteed.
Plankenhammer: This petite Plankenhammer porcelain vase with bullseye decoration is an example of the quirky Pop art designs that were one of the preferred styles in West German porcelain.
Price: $50 plus shipping and insurance.
Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote.
Size: Height is about 4".
Condition: excellent with no damage, no repairs...fully guaranteed.
| Go to W. German Page 4 | Home | Videos/Essays | Blog |