| ABOUT FAT LAVA AND WEST GERMAN CERAMICS |  |
WEST GERMAN POTTERY
German pottery has an image of big brown ceramic vases of of course the brown beer jars. Luckily they made some nice, colourfull and some very distinctive pottery in de fifties, sixties and seventies. A few dozen manufacturers are known. Some manufacturers used very wild colours like yellow, orange, red, green and purle. Furthermore no shape was mad enough. Inspiration for the designs is often found in nature. But they have also been insprired on actual global events like moon travela and the discovery of the painted caves of Montignac.
MANUFACTURERS (in alphabetical order)
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Manufacturer:
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BAY
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| Period: |
1933-1971
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| Associated designers: |
Bodo Mans
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| Charteristics: |
Earlier pieces being of high quality. There decors were
mostly done in relief.
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Manufacturer:
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CARSTENS
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| Period: |
1945-1984
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| Associated designers: |
Trude Carstens, Gerda Heuckenroth and A. Seide.
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| Charteristics: |
Fairly good quality. Used mainly relief technics.
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Manufacturer:
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CERAMANO
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| Period: |
1959-1984
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| Associated designers: |
Gerda Heuckenroth and Hanns Welling.
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| Charteristics: |
High quality ceramics leaning toward studio line ceramics.
Painted decors.
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Manufacturer:
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DÜMLER & BREIDEN
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| Period: |
1883-1992
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| Associated designers: |
-
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| Charteristics: |
Very long period of manufacturing resulted in a large variety
of production technics. They also carried a studio line. There mark (crossing db swords) is easy to recognise.
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Manufacturer:
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GOLDSCHEIDER
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| Period: |
1885-1938 (Austria Vienna)
1938-1950 (UK & USA)
1950-1960 (Austria and West Germany) Liscenced by Carstens
1987 (Stoob, Austria)
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| Associated designers: |
-
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| Charteristics: |
Goldscheider is very well known for their art deco / jugenstill dancing figurines. These are highly collectable. After WWII restarted their Austrian factory but due to financial situations the were forced to sell to Carsten. In de 50-ies (W. Germany period) they produced mainly houshold ceramics and masks. In this periode they marked their pottery with a golden label with " Weltmarke der Keramik" The so called GWM mark. You can read the complete Goldscheider story here.
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Manufacturer:
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GROOTENBURG
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| Period: |
1913-1951?
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| Associated designers: |
Paul Dressler and Richard Uhlemeyer.
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| Charteristics: |
The designs by Paul Dressler have destincitve craquele look and teh glaze is almost copper patine like in the colours matching red copper and green patina.
Richard Uhlemeyer started his own company. His pottery resembled the Grootenburg line. Grootenburg marked with a " castle" stamp and is made of red clay. Uhlemeyer used a mark of a double horsehead and used gray clay.
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Manufacturer:
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KMK Kermamik Manufaktur Kupfermühle
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| Period: |
1949-1997
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| Associated designers: |
-
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| Charteristics: |
Once started with small series they later turned to more larger series of vases, kitchen items and more house hold ceramics. All items were hand painted and their later series well in to the 80-ies were highly decorated. Find out more of KMK and their documented series here.
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Manufacturer:
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ROTH
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| Period: |
Unknown
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| Associated designers: |
-
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| Charteristics: |
Not much is known about this company besides they manufactured a high quality and highly collectable range of abstract lava vases in black combined with red, yellow and purple glaze. There mid range pottery also featured planters.
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Manufacturer:
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RUSCHA (Rudolph Schardt)
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| Period: |
1948-1996 (Now owned by Scheurich)
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| Associated designers: |
Kurt Tschörner, Otto Gerharz, Hanns Welling, and Adele Bölz
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| Charteristics: |
A high qualtiy producer with a large variety in object: from vases to wall plates and animal figures. There Vulcano glaze by Kurt Tschörner is highly collectable. They used a variety of glazing and decors. The earlier walltiles are handpainted. There later work is of lesser quality.
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Manufacturer:
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SCHEURICH
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| Period: |
1954-Current
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| Associated designers: |
-
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| Charteristics: |
The largest producer by far and thus the best known manufacturer of West German Potter. There glaze desigs are countless. There quality was fine however in some periods a bit less due to high production numbers. The later productions are not that collectable. Recognisable by there later mark (3 circles).
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Manufacturer:
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SCHLOßBERG
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| Period: |
1946-1975
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| Associated designers: |
-
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| Charteristics: |
High quality pottery which is hard to identify. These are collectable and rare to find.
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Manufacturer:
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STEULER
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| Period: |
1917-1996
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| Associated designers: |
Heiner Balzar and Cari Zalloni
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| Charteristics: |
Very good quality and colectable. The designs by Balzar are somewhat sculpural and abstract and his glazes are mostly brownisch or other earth tones. The designs by Zalloni are geometrical and bright glazed in white, red and blue.
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Manufacturer:
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Ü-KERAMIK (UEBERLACKER)
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| Period: |
1909-1990
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| Associated designers: |
-
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| Charteristics: |
A variety in models ranging from " normal vases" up to box and hole vases with dripping glaze. Quality average to good.
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DECORS INSPIRED BY HUMAN DISCOVERY AND SCIENCE
Discovery of the cave drawing at Lascaux near Montignac in 1941.
 
Cave drawings vs. Scheurich 281-50 Montignac decor
 
Suyuz Space Station vs. Bay ceramic vase.
DECORS INSPIRED BY NATURE
 
Scheurich 482-50 Jura decor in red and black verses ammonites at the "Jurassic Coast" Dorset South of England.
 
Sliced union vs. Scheurich model 285-30 with Amsterdam or Onion decor.
 
Flowing lava stream vs. Lava glazing, make unknown.
DECORS INSPIRED BY ANCIENT HISTORY
2 examples of an "Asyrian Warrior" on Soendgen vases.
Estruscan influences on these Cermano object. Jugwith decor "Amon" . The 2 vases decor "Agina" .
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3 examples of Greek influence on these Ceramano pieces with "Pergamon" decor.
Ruscha wall tile with Roman decor of Warrier Chariot with 4 span horses. " Let the games begin"
  
Inspired by Aztec or Mayan Culture? Right a Mayan solar Calander Disk
BOOKS ABOUT FAT LAVA
 West & East German Pottery: Makers Marks & Form Numbers
New book by Kevin James Graham (available July 1, 2009)
174 pages, over 300 color photographs, thousands upon thousands of form numbers, over 200 companies are contained with, with year/era of introduction plus additional designer data, written in English.
 From Spritzdekor to Fat Lava
New book by Kevin James Graham. (available July 1, 2009)
262 pages, 658 full color photographs, further 282 color marks photographs (940 in all). Details of 108 West & East German pottery makers from 1930s to 1998 are contained within, including the designers, decors with dates of introduction, includes some never seen before companies. This is the first book of its kind available in English.
 The Book by Mark Hill
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