West German Pottery: Autumnal Colours
Posted: October 6, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized, West German Pottery | Tags: autumn, Carstens, dumler and breiden, fat lava, halloween, Mulled wine, pottery, Pumpkin, Scheurich, west german ceramics, West German Pottery 4 Comments »There is a definite chill in the air now and that lovely October feeling is starting to steal over me. I adore this time of year: Hallowe’en, Bonfire Night, leaves falling from the trees, woolly scarves and hats, mulled wine. Although we’re still decorating like mad – which means I can’t create my usual Autumn display with West German Pottery, conkers, twigs and pumpkins – I can still select and show off some of the more seasonally-coloured pottery we’ve collected over the years.
We’re hoping to get the majority of the decorating done this week; finishing just before we go off on holiday for a week. Perhaps when we come back I can create some kind of display for Hallowe’n. It’d be lovely to get some of these pieces of pottery out and use them. I feel like they’ve been boxed away for so long!
Suggestions for West German Pottery decorative uses:
- Go for a long walk and collect twigs of varying lengths and crooked shapes. Place inside tall, thin pots as they are or spray paint gold or black for a more Hallowe’en-like effect.
- WGP dishes can hold conkers, both shells and the nuts; dried orange peel and cloves
- Select pumpkin shaped pots to make a display on a sideboard – Scheurich balloon vases are good for this. Intersperse with real pumpkins and squashes.
- For a Hallowe’en party, choose dark coloured pots and cover them with fake cobwebs.
- Use your rumtopf or D&B Saturn punch bowl to hold mulled wine – you never know when you’ll need a cupful!
Please leave any further suggestions for Autumnal decorative ideas in the comments – how are you going to use your pottery this season?
Halloween 2010
Our display from a couple of years ago… Our friend, Dan, is trying to light his first ever carved pumpkin. Cobwebbed and be-twigged pottery provide the background to his sex-pumpkin!
Scheurich 549
Posted: September 23, 2012 Filed under: West German Pottery | Tags: ceramics, form, glaze, Scheurich, West German Pottery Leave a comment »One of my favourite Scheurich forms is the 549. It is simple yet stylish; seemingly perfect for showing off a variety of glazes – something which Scheurich certainly didn’t hold back on.
We’ve had quite a few of this form over the years and I always delight in seeing how the many varied glazes and patterns play out over the simple, mid century design of this shape:
This isn’t the only version of the Scheurich 549: there are two more variations to the form. I would guess, judging by the colour combinations on this variation, in comparison to some of the others that this version is a slightly later one.
For example, this version is much more muted in colour:
Scheurich 549-21 (2)
And strikes me that it could come from an early period. There’s something not as appealing about this version of the form; I don’t like the rim on the top in combination with the slightly sloped sides.
However, this 18cm version of the 549 is actually quite appealing:
Scheurich 549-18
Dating this version is a little more tricky. That example would suggest 1950s, whereas this following one would suggest later, perhaps the ’60s:
Scheurich 549-21
Once again, when you place many of the same form together, it shows off the variety that Scheurich had in their glazes. Although they may not demonstrate the technical intricacies of other manufacturers such as Otto or Ceramano, there’s no denying the scope of the imaginations of the designers at Scheurich.
Related articles
- The Allure of the Scheurich Lora (littleowlski.wordpress.com)
- Fatlava.net – some beautiful examples of glaze on the 549
- Scheurich @ Potsandpots.com
Posing the Pottery
Posted: August 28, 2012 Filed under: Ebay Watch, West German Pottery | Tags: Carstens, Ceramic glaze, Ebay, keramik, pottery, Scheurich, West German Pottery 1 Comment »Aidan’s been getting more elaborate with his West German Pottery displays over the last two weeks, thinking up more unusual ways to show off the items for sale on his Ebay listings:
West German Pottery ending 29th August
From L-R starting at the top: Hutschenreuther, Italian Bitossi style vase, Jasba N Series ‘Moon’ vase, Scheurich 267 Prisma, U Keramik, Scheurich 231, 1950s Jasba, and Bay Keramik
West German Pottery ending Wednesday 5th September
From top to bottom then L-R: Carstens plant pot, unknown black and red plant pot, unknown ‘drippy’ plant pot, Winterling bamboo porcelain vase, Jopeko vase/plant pot, unknown red and brown plant pot, Scheurich 238-18, Schlossberg 270-15, Schlossberg 259-11, Carstens, Scheurich 284 ‘Balloon’ vase, ES Keramik, Italian Pottery Studio piece.
There are some particularly stunning glazes and designs on the latest batch, showing off once again the scope and diversity of West German pottery. None of these would fit into the so-called ‘Fat Lava’ style, but there are many stunning shapes, colours, forms and glazes to be seen here.
Weekly Sales: West German Pottery
Posted: August 14, 2012 Filed under: West German Pottery | Tags: Carstens, Ceramic glaze, Ebay, fat lava, keramik, pottery, Roth, Scheurich, West German Pottery, West Germany 2 Comments »The latest batch will be ending tomorrow night. I say this every time, but there really are some gems amongst this lot. See if you can spot what they are:
One of my favourites ending tomorrow night is this unusual Roth pot:
Roth 8304
Despite what it says in the listing ( I did it…) it is actually quite a rare form; we’ve not seen one of these before. I used Aidan’s previous listing to help me write it and kept ‘a well collected form’, thinking it was a piece of his sales patter… apparently, it’s quite unknown so a more accurate description might be ‘a well searched for’ form. Oh well… the collectors will know their stuff well enough to appreciate it! The glaze is amazing: vibrant, bold and striking. Roth are a company who produced such a plethora of different forms, glazes and colours. Usually, I’m not such a fan, but I do find this one quite appealing.
Just to show my erratic taste, I also love the colours of the glaze on this Scheurich 238:
Scheurich 238
Look at the turquoise and silver against the pale grey of that Scheurich pot! We’re in the process of doing up our house, and we’ve got a few old decorating books from the 1950s to use as inspiration. In one of them, it advocates using unusual things to inspire your colour schemes, such as flowers or favourite pictures. This pot would be a brilliant colour palette for a room! Or nails! I might have to paint my nails in something resembling this pattern tomorrow. I should explain that I’m a little bit obsessed with nail varnish, so I should have the colours to create this somehow.
One of the most exciting pieces we’ve put up for sale for a long time is this Otto Keramik piece:
Otto Keramik
Now, for quite a while I was adamant that we couldn’t possibly sell this one. The shape! The colours! The ridiculously drippy, metallic red glaze! But, as all obsessive collectors know, eventually you have to make choices about what to keep and what to sell. Sadly, it has been usurped by other pretenders to the West German crown. At least the beauty of Ebay – and the field we are working and collecting within – is that you know that when it does sell it will be going to someone who will love it, cherish it and hopefully give it pride of place in their homes. Otto are a pretty stupendous company, with pieces brimming with originality and individuality and this one is certainly no exception. The founder of the company, Otto Gerharz, was very interested in the technical development of glazes and I think you can see this in the complexities of the glaze here.
So, those are my picks of the pottery bunch – which ones do you rate? Or even, which do you hate? WGP is an exciting field that divides opinion and can spark an extreme reaction one way or another. What does it provoke in you?
Items Ending Wednesday 15th August:
Items ending Wednesday 15th August
Items Ending Wednesday 22nd August:
Items ending Wednesday 22nd August
Just in case you missed the links scattered throughout, you can view the entire collection for sale here.
New pieces of West German Pottery are listed every Sunday evening between 7 and 8pm to end 10 days later.
Pottery for Sale
Posted: July 20, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized, West German Pottery | Tags: Carstens, ceramics, Ebay, fat lava, lora, Scheurich, West German Pottery 2 Comments »There are some stunners amongst the latest batch of West German Pottery for sale on Aidan’s Ebay (if I do say so myself!). Scheurich glazes, even the most simple ones, deserve some appreciation. Last week I looked at the Scheurich Lora glaze; there’s one for sale here which is a particularly striking piece. I also like the bold orange and black of the 401-20.
Even just this small selection of West German pottery shows the variety available: form, colour, glaze; all can vary drastically from one piece to the next, between one factory and another.
If you’re interested in any of the pots you see in the slideshow, have a look at Aidan’s ebay page here.
Related articles
- The Allure of the Scheurich Lora (littleowlski.wordpress.com)
The Allure of the Scheurich Lora
Posted: July 14, 2012 Filed under: West German Pottery | Tags: Ceramic glaze, ceramics, fat lava, lora glaze, Scheurich, West German Pottery 2 Comments »The Scheurich ‘Lora’ is one of the most recognisable glazes in the company’s range. There are a few variations, but the basic theme is a shiny red base overlaid with thick, crusty black and white glaze that has been cut away to reveal the red underneath.
The ‘Lora’ glaze is one of consistently best sellers of West German Pottery. There’s just something about the colours and the pattern that seems to attract many buyers. I wonder how many ‘serious’ collectors dismiss the glaze as being too common, too mainstream as a Scheurich best-seller? However, there is no denying there is a certain allure to it.
The pot in the top left of the picture above is a perfect example of a stereotypical piece of the Scheurich ‘Lora’ glaze: classic colours and design. There are variations though as can be seen from the other pieces; changes in colour, length and width of the incisions down the sides, one layer of ‘cuts’ or two, a more yellowy or grey tinge to the base and so on. There is a slight imposter on the bottom row, however, the second in from the left that I’ve included in my montage, but I believe this one had a slightly different glaze construction to the others. It seems to stem from the same root though in terms of design.
One of my favourite variations here is the gigantic 279 piece with the two-level orange incisions, middle row, last pot above. The 279 is the daddy piece to my beloved Scheurich 414s and I love the orange version of the glaze here. I have never seen anything other than red, green or orange on the ‘Lora’ glaze; a purple or blue could have worked fantastically against the cooler, whiter-tinged glaze variations.
So, what is the charm of this glaze? The contrast? The range that can be collected in the glaze? I’m not sure… but what I am sure about is that this Scheurich glaze is one that will remain popular within the West German Pottery market for a while yet. Prices for these pieces remain steady, and as the market for mid century ceramics continues to expand, it is striking and collectable pieces of Scheurich such as these that will help to bring WGP further into the mainstream design aesthetic.
Related articles
- Patriotic Pottery (littleowlski.wordpress.com)
- Scheurich Glazes (potsandpots.com)
Potty Parents
Posted: May 9, 2012 Filed under: West German Pottery | Tags: ceramics, fat lava, retro, Roth, Ruscha, Scheurich, vintage, West German Pottery 2 Comments »The latest batch of Ebay sales came from my parents. Last year, my dad and sister did their own mini German road trip and came back with a few West German Pots of their own. I bought a couple from them, including a gorgeous Italian dish and an amazing Schaffenacker piece. This week, Aidan was selling some of their other pieces:
The sales have already ended now, but it’s always worth a look anyway. If you want to see what else Aidan has for sale – ending next week – just click here. If you happen to spot one of your new purchases in the pictures above, say hello! Always lovely to find out where the pots have gone to.
Apologies for the lack of blogging recently – far too much to do with the house and work. Hopefully, the end (as far as work is concerned) is in sight. I cannot wait for that final GCSE exam to be done! As much as I’ll miss my two year Eleven classes, I’ll definitely enjoy the extra free periods I get in return. More blogging will ensue at that point, I promise.
Pots and Pots
Posted: April 8, 2012 Filed under: West German Pottery | Tags: Bay Keramik, Carstens, fat lava, Roth, Ruscha, Scheurich, west german ceramics, West German Pottery Leave a comment »Time for a bit of self promotion, I think. I don’t do this very often, as he has his own website, but I do like to show off some of Aidan’s pottery every now and then. Tonight he’s uploading some more lovely pots and as he’s spent this entire Easter weekend doing essential D.I.Y. to our house, the least I can do is help promote his business. Feast your eyes on the West German pottery below and if you fancy bidding on any, make sure you click on his Ebay link here.
Colours of Spring
Posted: March 22, 2012 Filed under: West German Pottery | Tags: Carstens, ceramics, green, pottery, Scheurich, spring, West German Pottery, yellow 8 Comments »
Spring Greens - West German Pottery
The new season has prompted me to get blogging again. As many experienced bloggers probably now, once you’ve had a break, it can sometimes be difficult to get back into it again. Add dark nights to make taking pictures difficult, long working hours and a lack of inspiration and the problem is just compounded.
Yesterday was a particularly lovely day and fortunately, thanks to my lovely boyfriend, I’ve got some pretty pictures of pottery in spring colours for you to ogle:
Yellow (ish) Germany Pottery
The majority of these have come from the last trip to Deutschland. We still can’t quite believe just how much we brought back this time. Every time someone comes to visit, they get hauled out into the garage like it’s a prize pig… prize pottery at least.
Aidan’s posed the green selection in front of a massive pile of logs that he’s built in our back garden:
Aidan's trademark wonky angle photograph...
This wood was compiled by my dad when he found out we were getting a wood-burning stove… he started about three weeks ago. I received several phone calls from my Mum about this, that went a bit like this:
“Can you hurry up and get your stove fitted, please Emma?”
Me: “Why?”
“Because your Dad has bought himself a chainsaw to cut up logs with and has destroyed both the back garden and the front one with logs, trees and sawdust.”
He’d tidied up a bit when we went round at the weekend, but there was still a huuuuge pile of logs and wood to be sorted out. Not that we minded at all: we’ve now got enough wood to keep us going until this time next year, I’m sure of it. And he’s sent me a picture today of yet some more he’s got for us. Amazing.
Another look at the yellows...
I’m not usually a big fan of yellow pottery, but mingled in with the greens – and, to be honest, not being particularly yellow yellow – these look quite lovely. I also like the contrast of the purple flowers on the bush behind with these colours.
It’s probably a good job that Aidan has found another use for the pile of logs. If this warm weather continues, we’re unlikely to actually use the new stove much once it’s installed. At least that job will be done and should give us the impetus to start other renovations and decorations.
Which is your favourite pot from the ones in the pictures? Mine’s the green and black, 1950s style Carstens in the green selection, and the fairly neon U-Keramik piece at the front of the yellow picture.
Related articles
- Pots and Pots (littleowlski.wordpress.com)
- Driving round Deutschland in a Van-Car… (littleowlski.wordpress.com)
- West German Pottery Finds (littleowlski.wordpress.com)
Pots and Pots
Posted: January 24, 2012 Filed under: West German Pottery | Tags: Carstens, ceremano, Dumler & Breiden, fat lava, potsandpots.com, pottery, Scheurich, West German, west german ceramics, West German Pottery 2 Comments »If you’ve not visited it already, you need to get yourself over to Potsandpots.com. Aidan has spent many hours putting this together and the results are – not that I’m biased at all – a fantastic resource for the West German Pottery collector.
For each of the major West German Pottery manufacturers, he’s compiled a gallery of all of the pieces we have ever owned or sold and placed them into number order. As we find more and more, the galleries will be updated. This allows any collector to quickly skim through and identify a pot. It’s not as all-encompassing as the Pottery and Glass forum, for example, but it is an excellent reference point for the burgeoning collector. We both use it ourselves when trying to identify our own pottery!
Other features are tips and hints on how to identify the different factories; histories of the major factories; and a blog based around West German pottery price trends, where it’s been spotted and so on.
The blog covers the average price trends of WGP, which can be really useful if you’re deciding whether to keep or sell a piece!
If you need any help or information, visit Potsandpots.com and leave Aidan a comment. Alternatively, email him at: info (at) potsandpots.com.
We’re heading off to Germany again in a couple of weeks’ time, so expect an influx of pottery posts both on here and over there.
I Used To Know What I Wanted To Say…