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Petra on pottery

“featuring West German art pottery, Fat Lava and more 20th century ceramics”

Category Archives: Ulmer Keramik

February 25, 2011 Handpainted in Ulm

The vase in this post is quite big, measuring little over 45cm/17,7″. It is made by Ulmer Keramik and probably dates from the mid-fifties. Ulmer Keramik was one of the biggest producers of ceramics in West Germany, having grown very fast after Heinz Saur started the business in 1946. Fayence vases, like this one, were a big hit in the fifties. They come in different shapes and sizes and a wide range of pictorial decors depicting flora and fauna, landscapes, townscapes or seascapes  either with or without a little scene involving people. A big production line of (female) painters put out thousands of these vases. The speed of production often shows in the quick brush strokes of the decor. Quality does seem to vary a lot. They are fun pieces none the less, especially if the vase or plate is decorated all over like it was a canvas. I ended up buying the Ulmer vase below, because it doesn’t have an ultra swift brush stroke but seems quite carefully painted with a lot of detail. It is marked with the blue Ulmer shield together with the model number 85 and decor number 2. Ulmer Keramik ceased production in 1993.