Scheurich Archives - H is for Home Harbinger

The Mallams Modern Living sale takes place on Wednesday 17^th Aug 2022 from 10am at their Oxford premises. Up for sale is a good selection of quality, European mid century modern and later art, furniture and homewares. We’ve selected a few to showcase in this week’s Auction Alert.

The Buyer’s premium is 30% (inc. of VAT) of the hammer price. Bidding online via the Mallams website doesn’t incur any further charges. However, if you bid and win items via the-saleroom.com costs an extra 4.95% plus VAT of the final selling price.

Mallams do not have in house packing or shipping facilities but can suggest companies to assist with this.

Lot 48: Maurice Burke (20^th Century) for Arkana
Pair of ‘Tulip’ white stools or tables, stamped ‘Arkana’ to metal disc on the base, 45cm x 51.5cm (2). Overall wear, scuffs and scratches. Consistent with age and use. Otherwise ok.
Estimate: £100 – £200

Lot 50: Light elm rectangular coffee table, with Ercol circular label to the underside
104cm x 36cm x 47cm. Overall with signs of wear and use. Some watermarks and staining to the top.
Estimate: £100 – £200

Lot 67: Pair of lamino lounge chairs
Teak, with patterned upholstery, designed in 1956, stamped to the underside ‘Swedese, Yngve Ekström, Made in Sweden’, 100cm high overall (2). One chair has a split and repair. Is now very sturdy. Overall signs of wear and some scratches. Upholstery is not original. Very comfortable. Otherwise seems ok.
Estimate: £500 – £800

Lot 77: Vico Magistretti (1920-2006) for Cassina ‘Veranda’ black leather reclining armchair, with fold out footrest
108cm high with the back extended, 94cm wide overall x 63cm deep without the footrest. Note: The matching sofa and a matching armchair is also available as separate lots in this sale. Overall wear, some scratches and scuffs as expected. Consistent with age and use. Some indentations to the leather. The folding mechanism is very stiff, but does open and close as seen in photographs. Some indentations to the leather.
Estimate: £150 – £300

Lot 86: Alessandro Albrizzi (1934-1994) glass and chrome coffee table, with purple coloured glass
Top measures 152cm x 76cm, the base measures 143cm x 61cm. The glass is not fixed to the base, it just sits on top. Overall wear and some scratches, consistent with age and use. Some small chips to the edges/corners in places.
Estimate: £300 – £500

Lot 87: Merrow Associates Ltd glass topped table and four chairs
Estimate: £300 – £500
The smoked glass top measures 117cm across, 71.5cm high overall, the chairs measure 74cm high approx overall (5). Overall wear, scratches and scuffs as expected, consistent with age and use. Small chips to the glass table top in places.

Lot 233: David Shrigley (b.1968) Fruit and Vegetable series
‘If you don’t like tomatoes’, ‘The moment has arrived’, ‘They were too long’, ‘You win this mushroom’, ‘When life gives you a lemon’, offset lithographs, unframed, 80cm x 60cm (5)
Estimate: £400 – £600

Lot 299: David Sharp at Rye Pottery slipware charger
Decorated with a tree, incised signature to the reverse ‘David Sharp Pottery, Rye, E. Sussex, England’, 29cm across. Overall seems ok with minimal glaze faults.
Estimate: £50 – £80

Lot 336: Lisa Larson (b.1931) for Gustavberg (sic) ‘Thalia’ ceramic vase
With impressed mark and label to the base, 25.5cm high. With damage and repair to the rim. Overall wear and some minor firing flaws as expected.
Estimate: £40 – £60

Lot 342: Kitty Kahane (b.1960) for Rosenthal collection of ceramics
Comprising of: a teapot, 22cm high overall, pot with cover, 14cm high, large bowl 30cm across x 13cm high and a smaller bowl 20cm across x 9cm high overall (4). Overall ok with minimal signs of wear and use.
Estimate: £50 – £100

Lot 343: Scheurich Fat Lava (West Germany) ceramic vase with red glaze
Estimate: £50 – £100
Marked ‘517-38 W. Germany’ to the base, 38cm high. Crazing to the glaze, minor display marks and wear, otherwise seems ok.

Lot 384: Geoffrey Baxter (1922-1995) for Whitefriars
‘Pineapple’ tangerine glass vase, pattern no 9731, unmarked, 18cm high, ‘Totem’ pewter glass vase, pattern no 9671, unmarked, 27cm high and a ‘Random strapping’ tangerine glass vase, pattern no 9797, unmarked, 18.5cm high (3)
Estimate: £100 – £200

We recently posted a photograph of two lava glazed vases on our Flickr page which has proved very popular. So we thought that we’d write a few words and share a few more photos about West German ceramics from the 1950s to the 1970s.

After a period of time being generally ‘out of fashion’ these amazing ceramics are being appreciated once more for their style and eccentricity. They are now regularly seen gracing the pages of design and interior magazines. The range of colours, shapes, textures and sizes is mind-boggling!

Collection of West German 'Fat Lava' vases

Some pieces are hand-thrown, others are mass-produced, stock shapes. However, as with the Poole Delphis Pottery range, even these stock shapes can be transformed by the textures and the individual glazes in every colour imaginable. Pieces range in size from 3 inches to well over 20 inches tall for the larger floor vases.

_{Impressed ‘thumbnail’ detailing}

_{Frothing lava glaze}

_{Incised decoration}

_{No rules with colour combinations!}

_{Typical base markings}

A number of factories produced these characteristic ceramics – Baykeramik, Carstens, Dumler & Breiden, Jopeko, Roth, Ruscha and Scheurich to name but a few. Much has still to be learned about which company produced what. Some factories produced pieces with distinctive base markings such as the crossed swords of Dumler & Breiden, however the majority of pieces simply have serial number markings (often accompanied by ‘German’ or ‘W. Germany’). You may be lucky enough to find a piece with the original paper label, otherwise you’re in for a bit of detective work.

There hasn’t been a great deal published on West German ceramics from this period, however Fat Lava, by Mark Hill (from Amazon UK) is a good starting point – it outlines the main factories and is packed with good quality colour photos.

In fact, the book was written to accompany an exhibition of German pottery from this period held at King’s Lynn Arts Centre in 2006.

Another place to find out more is the GinFor’s Odditiques website. Also Outernational, fat-lava.com and An Seta Pottery.

The pots work well displayed in groups of either similar or contrasting colours. The larger floor vases look great as stand-alone pieces.

Our particular favourites are the fiery oranges and reds, particularly ones with the bubbling lava glazes. We’ve built up quite a collection but good examples are getting harder to find and prices are rising steadily.

_{Trio of small, red and brown West German vases, 4-6 inches tall}

_{Trio of incised vases – classic 1950s shapes}

_{Blue vase with original Scheurich paper label}

_{Huge floor vases}

_{Fat lave glazes provide striking accent colours}

We hope you’ve enjoyed looking at some of our collection. Have a look at our West German Pottery Collectors group on Flickr to see some more examples from us and other members. If this post has inspired you to start your own collection, then happy hunting!

Vintage West German pottery & ceramics currently available at our H is for Home online shop

H is for Home Harbinger

Tag: Scheurich

Auction alert: Modern Living sale

West German Ceramics