Good news for collectors of the 1960's and 70's West German Pottery. There's an exhibit coming up (in England), and there will be an accompanying book.......one in English at last. Go to:

Mark Hill Publishing for more information.

 

GinFor's Odditiques
(GINny and FORrest Poston's Oddities and Antiques)
(Cats and batteries not included.)

West German Companies, Designers, and Potters

 West German Images and
Information:

Essay: A Divine and Delightful Madness: An Introduction to W. German Pottery

Essay: Reputation, Reality,
and Respect: Sorting Out West German
Pottery

West German Pottery Marks
(Pictures of various marks, bases,
and labels)

Photo Gallery of West German items (pictures of items we've had in the past few years, divided by company when possible).

You are Here--> Companies, Potters, Designers
(Information about some of the
particular companies, studio potters,
and designers active during the West
German era.)

When asking questions:

1. It really, really helps if you send pictures of the item and the bottom (e-mail or snail mail is fine).

2. When sending pictures by e-mail, please try to keep the file size down. A resolution of 72 ppi is fine for viewing on a monitor. (Higher qualities are mostly for getting better results on a printed version.).

3. If you get a message saying something about the e-mail or picture being rejected (happened recently), it's not us doing it. It means something about the file couldn't be accepted by some part of the internet. Too large a file or wrong file type is the most likely problem.

Thanks to one and all.

Forrest (the "for" part of ginfor)

 Click on any of the thumbnail mark pictures to go to the pages showing more marks from various companies.  Brief Information on some of the main pottery companies and people working during the West German era. This list is not even close to being comprehensive. Dozens of companies and studio potters produced excellent work during this period.  This information comes from various sources, including friends in Germany and 50er Jahre Keramik by Horst Makus. Makus and some of the other sources are written in German, so I'm doing some translation work, which also means I'll probably make some mistakes. In many cases, there simply isn't enough information in circulation to make some better guesses. When people start selling the company catalogs sitting in their basements, attics and drawers, it will help...eventually.
 

 Bay Keramik: Started by Eduard Bay in 1933. I think Bay died in 1978, but the company may still be in operation. Bay was one of the top producers from the beginning of the West German era. They ranked with Scheurich and Ruscha for quantity, variety, and quality of production.

Best known early lines are Florenz (1955), Zurich (1958), Rheims (1960), Istanbul (1961), and Ravenna (1961)

 
  Bückberg: In operation from 1912-1971  
  Carstens: In operation from 1945-1984. Unlike many of the West German companies, Carstens marked much of the work, but some items had only labels. The mark looks like a double house with an overlapping TC beneath. The letters stand for Carstens Tönnieshof, which I think translates to Carstens pottery. Quality is excellent.  
  Ceramano: In operation from 1959-1984; For a company that was in business for a rather short time, Ceramano produced a wide range of suberb pottery. Many items are extensively marked with the company name, line name, and artist's initials. However, I have seen some unmarked items that I strongly suspect are from Ceramano  
   Clemens & Huhn (1948-1975); located in Tübingen  
   Dümler & Breiden (1883-1992); usually marked with an impressed D B with crossed lines/swords and the letters form the pommels; mark sometimes includes Hohr-Grenzhausen, the location  
  ES Keramik: As far as can tell, the company started in 1921, underwent a change in 1948 and closed in 1974; later pieces have a foil label; pieces from the 1950s and early 60's are usually unmarked and feature light backgrounds with minimalist abstract decoration  
  Fohr Keramik: Started in 1859 making ceramic bottles; currently in operation with the fifth generation of the family still running the company; added decorative ceramics such as vases and bowls under Arthur Fohr.  
 

 Gramann

Siegfried Gramann took over the family business from his father, Karl, in 1948. The company was located in Römhild. The most common mark shows a T over R for Töpferei, Römhild. Legibility varies.

 
  Grootenberg  
  Hamelner Töpferei  
  Hutschenreuther is best known for wonderful figurines and dinnerware, but they also produced some great art pottery with elegantly exaggerated forms and eye-popping colors; began in 1856 and still in business as far as I know.  
  Ilkra  
 

Jasba (1926- )

I originally thought Jasba was one of the second tier companies, but the more pieces I can attribute to them, the higher my opinion grows. The name comes from the name of the founder: Jakob Schwaderlapp Baumbach. (My thanks to Christopher Fohr, current GM at Fohr Keramik, for this interesting note.

 
  Jopeko  
  Kagel, William  
 

Karlsruhe (1901 - )

This is one of the few companies to make high quality art pottery all through the 20th century. The company is located in Karlsruhe, and is also called Karlsruher, or Grand Ducal Majolica. There is a book on the company, and it lists the date and artist to match the item number found on most items. The range in style is broad, but the quality is always high from what I've seen. They are also one of the companies to make some great wall plaques.

 
  Keto  
  Kiechle (1947-1972) The items have a distinctive marking. Much of the work has incised and enamel decoration, often on a matte black background. Some is similar to earlier work by Stellmacher.  
  Kiessling  
  Krösselbach  
   Liebenthron, Gerhardt  
  Lindner  
 

Mans, Bodo

Worked with Picasso designs for Madoura in Vallauris; in 1960 began doing form and decoration designs for Bay; went freelance in 1975; designed Rheims (1960), Istanbul (1961), and Ravenna (1961); probably because of the French experience, Mans' designs are currently among the most sought by collectors. Personally, they don't impress me all that much, but I've never seen one in person, either.

 
  Rosenthal  
 

Ruscha (1905-1996)

This is clearly one of the top companies of the era. The best pieces sometimes have a Ruscha Art label. Many of the forms were designed by Kurt Tschörner, who deserves much more recognition. The Ruscha plaques are also worth looking for, and some are quite large.

The 313 form introduced in 1954 is one of the tre classics and was in production until the factory closed. It is available in at least 50 different glaze treatments.

Ruscha is also known for Domino (1954), Milano (1954), Masken, (1956), Monaco (1956).

One of the most rare lines is Filigran by Adele Bolz. Intricate figural, animal, and geometric designs cut through the glaze.

I recently received a copy of a Ruscha catalog that has helped attribute numerous pieces to Ruscha that I would not have expected. My opinion of Ruscha was already high, but they may well now be my favorite.

 
Ruscha form 333

Ruscha form 313
  Sawa  
 

Schäffenacker, Helmut

One of the top studio potters, retired in the early or mid 1990's; the plaques are most sort by collectors currently, but his vases are also well worth collecting

 

 

The most common Scheurich marked (when marked at all) is simply an embossed "Scheurich Keramik". There is also an embosed 3-circle mark similar to the design in the label above. I believe this is a fairly recent mark but have not been able to confirm that. Unfortunately, Scheurich has not kept a clear history of their work.

Scheurich Keramik (1954- )

Although they got a late start, Scheurich soon became the largest producer of commercial art pottery in Germany; still in business but with few records of earlier production.

I recently learned that Scheurich now has the rights to the Ruscha name and uses it on special lines. Unfortunately, I haven't seen an example to see how it compares to original Ruscha marks. Style and color will be the best ways to attribute and date the work for now.

 
  Schlossberg  
   Sgrafo  
 

Steuler (1918-1996)

Steuler seems to have hit a special stride from the mid 1960's into the 70's, producing some great work. The Cari Zalloni designs from this period often have great architechtural qualities.

 
  Strehla  
  Ü-Keramik  

Uhlemeyer, Richard (1900-1954)

Studio pottery, one of the strong early forces moving toward modern designs, opened company in 1935, continued operation after his death until 1961

 
  Ulmer  
  van Daalen  
 

Wächtersbach

Opened in 1832, one of the adaptable companies that has managed to stay in operation even now

 
 

 Welling, Hans

Designer for Ruscha, Ceramano, Scheurich, and others

 
 

  Wörsdörfer, Cilli

Designer for Ruscha and Jasba

 
 

 Cari Zalloni

Designed for Steuler Keramik. Later opened Carzal, known for designer eyeglasses.

 

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Art Pottery (American and European art pottery other than mid century items)

Pottery and Porcelain (Figurines, plates, vases, etc.)

Mid-Century Design (Mid Century pottery, currently featuring one of the best selections of studio and W. German pottery in the U.S.)

Studio Pottery (While many of these items can be found in other categories, they are also gathered here for those with a special interest in studio work.)

Glass (art glass, stemware, EAPG, Depression, Elegant, etc.)     

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Essays and Information:

Book Review: Fat Lava, West German Ceramics of the 1960s & 70s

Collecting West German Pottery: Thoughts, Philosophy, and History

A Divine and Delightful Madness: An Intro to W. German Pottery

Learning the Basics about West German Pottery (This is the most in depth essay.)

West German Pottery Marks

W. German Companies, Designers, and Studio Potters

West German Picture Gallery and Identification Aid (pictures of items we've had over the last 3 years)

To Buy or Not To
Buy:  
Going Where Price Guides End (thoughts about collecting, aesthetics, and health)

Get the Picture Straight: The Basics of Selling Glass and Pottery on the Internet (how to write item listings, matters of photography, etc.)

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Ginfor's Odditiques (click to
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 West German Images and Information on Ginfor's Odditiques:

Book Review: Fat Lava: West German Ceramics of the 1960s & 70s

Essay: Collecting West German Pottery: Thoughts, Philosophy, and History

Essay: Reputation, Reality, and Respect: Sorting Out West German Pottery

Essay : A Divine and Delightful Madness: An Introduction to W. German Pottery

Identification: West German Pottery Marks (Pictures of various marks, bases, and labels)

Photo Gallery of West German items (pictures of items we've had in the past few years, divided by company when possible).

Companies, Potters, Designers (Information about some of the particular companies, studio potters, and designers active during the West German era.)

When asking questions:

1. It really, really helps if you send pictures of the item and the bottom (e-mail or snail mail is fine).

2. When sending pictures by e-mail, please try to keep the file size down. A resolution of 72 ppi is fine for viewing on a monitor.

3. If you get a message saying something about the e-mail or picture being rejected (happened recently), it's not us doing it. Too large a file or wrong file type is the most likely problem.

While this information is free, it is under copyright. We give permission for people to print a copy for personal use. Of course, quoting is always fine as long as proper credit is included. While we may eventually do a book, any support for this part of the site is up to you. There's no obligation, but if you feel like you got enough value out of the essays, information, and pictures, we won't object if you make a small donation though Paypal. The cats like to know that we will be able to support them in the manner they have come to expect.

Thanks to one and all.

Forrest (the "for" part of ginfor)