bowl
- Museum number
- 1984,0207.3
- Description
-
Bowl; red earthenware; turned, biscuit-fired and then gloss-fired over a layer of white slip; the cooling of the high-fired gloss glaze has produced a craquelé effect; the bowl then had a third firing in a smoky reduced atmosphere with silver lustre, which has caused stained yellow and silvery-brown patches; the base with transparent lead glaze.
- Production date
-
1930 (designed;pre)
-
1930-1933 (made;circa)
- Dimensions
-
Diameter: 18.20 centimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- See also 1984,0207.1-2
Text from J. Rudoe, 'Decorative Arts 1850-1950. A catalogue of the British Museum collection'. 2nd ed. no.130.
This is likely to be an experimental piece made around 1930 or shortly before. At this time the factory produced a range of vases and bowls of simple form with craquelé lustre glazes in several colours inspired by Persian or Far Eastern ceramics and known as 'Edelmajoliken' (Badische Werkkunst 1931), Sondernummer Heft 1, 17-18). The glazes were described as smoked (geraucht) because they were given a third firing in a reducing atmosphere after the biscuit and gloss firings. Further similar bowls, described as 'Craquelé-Schalen gelb und grau' were illustrated in a catalogue issued by the Majolika-Manufaktur in October 1930 (a copy is held in the factory archive).
The shape probably designed by Martha Katzer (1897-1947), the glaze developed by Gerda Conitz. Conitz (b. 1901), who had trained at the Fachschule Bunzlau, was employed by the factory from 1928 to 1932 specially to develop new bodies and glazes. Katzer worked for the factory from 1922 to the 1940s, designing several models for serial production, together with the 'Edelmajoliken', which won a Grand Prix at the Paris Exhibition of 1937.
The examples in the possession of the factory are marked in a variety of ways: some have model numbers only, while others have the factory mark only (Karlsruhe 1979, Badisches Landesmuseum, 'Karlsruher Majolica', nos 244-52). The colours include varying shades of yellow, white, grey, grey-blue, grey-black and grey-brown.
The shape and glaze of this bowl appear to derive from Japanese models of the seventeenth to nineteenth century.
I am grateful to Nigel Wood for his comments on the glazing techniques.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1984
- Acquisition notes
- Mr & Mrs Gay received it as a gift from Stern, financial advisor to the factory 1925-33.
- Department
- Britain, Europe and Prehistory
- Registration number
- 1984,0207.3