THE ITEM
This stunning work of mid-century design is by Czech pottery Ditmar Urbach. The elegant tower form is softly geometric from its square base and is an excellent canvas for the poured, running glaze decor. The base glossy glaze is a semi-matte silken Black glaze, over which is poured and blended the layers of translucent as well as opaque teal, green, blue and grey gloss glaze. The curves of the vase helps to create the beautiful flowing trails.
CONDITION
Excellent. No chips, cracks or repairs. There is mild and negligible use wear on the interior and the exterior that is commensurate with the age of the piece. Please refer to photos as they form part of the condition report. The underside of the vase base is marked with Ditmar Urbach's stamp and retains the original paper label denoting 'Keramické Závody Teplice' which loosely translates as 'Ceramic Works Teplice'.
MEASUREMENTS
Height: c. 11.2" / 28.6 cm tall by 3.1" / 8 cm diameter (across widest point). Rim Opening diameter: c. 1.3" / 3.2 cm. Base diameter: c. 2.6" / 6.6 cm. Unpackaged weight: c. 1 kg / 954 g
NOTES
Vase will be securely packaged and shipping will be insured.
Shipping will be combined for multiple items.
A BIT OF HISTORY
Ditmar-Urbach AG Porcelain Factories operated under various names in Turn-Teplitz, Bohemia (later Trnovany, Czechoslovakia), from 1882 to 1938. The pottery began as Brothers Urbach. It merged with a factory owned by Rudolf Ditmar's heirs in 1919 and became Ditmar-Urbach.
The Nazis took over the factory from the Jewish owners in 1938 and it became part of Ostmark-Ceramic. It was nationalized after the end of the war in 1945. In 1947 Kurt Lichtenstern - heir to Ditmar Urbach's previous owner Richard Lichtenstern - who had emigrated to the U.S. and changed his name to Conrad H. Lester, took back the company. The final change was when the company was eventually taken over in 1967 by the Keramik Holding Laufen, which is now part of the ROCA group.
Ditmar Urbach produced in a broad range of styles for their decor and are well known for their handpainted Art Deco animal-themed kitchenalia and 'Alienware' series, named by collectors for their unusual combination of shapes, colours and glazes.