Fabulous Mid Century Funky Retro West German, One Handled Vase Produced by Bay Keramik, Ransbach Baumbach, Shape Number 77/17, Circa 1960s

Fabulous Mid Century Funky Retro West German, One Handled Vase Produced by Bay Keramik, Ransbach Baumbach, Shape Number 77/17, Circa 1960’s

West German and German Mid-Century pottery is a highly exciting area of ceramics to collect, as there are so many wonderful examples available for collectors, with wonderful glazes, colourways and techniques. But I need to downsize my collection in advance of a house move.

The backstamps are fun to decipher, but are very logical, with the last one or two digits of the numbering system referring to the height of the piece in centimetres. The other numbers will identify the manufacturer and the shape of the piece.
Those marked GERMANY on the underside date generally to pre-1949.
Those marked WEST GERMANY OR W. GERMANY date to between 1949 to 1990.
Those marked FOREIGN, or overstamped with FOREIGN, are generally post 1949 but mid-century West German pieces for export to countries like Hungary or Bulgaria, marked as such because Western goods were not taken very well behind the Iron Curtain!
To further complicate the matter, the same shaped piece, from the same manufacturer, with the same impressed number on the reverse, can have examples with all three backstamps, GERMANY, WEST GERMANY and FOREIGN, depending on the age of the piece, as the production of these pieces spanned the formation of West Germany and the iron curtain!!
I am letting a few of my West German Pottery Vases go, in advance of moving house.

The piece for sale in this ad is a funky retro 1960’s vase by Bay Keramik, in Shape Number 77/17, in Kelly Green and Brown Glaze with a fabulous relief pattern of circles and plaits:

Maker: Bay Keramik
Date: Circa 1960’s
Base: W. GERMANY 77/17
Height:17cm
Condition: Very good, with a minor chip/nibble on the rim as photographed.
Notes: This shape was produced in quite a number of colourways, plain colours and combos. They sell for between €40 and €60 online, see a few examples in the photos.

Bay Keramiks were founded by Eduard Bay in 1933 and based in Ransbach Baumbach in the heart of the main West German pottery producing region. Bodo Mans was amongst their most famous designers. In 1970 Bay patented the Römertopf – a clay cooking pot which works by steaming foodstuffs and allowing them to braise in their own juices, billed as the healthiest way to prepare meals. Bay Keramik continued to produce decorative ceramics into the 1980s.

Check out my other ads and more coming soon!

I have other lots of West German ceramics available already, plus I will have some other larger vases and floor vases available shortly, see the last few photos which shows the wider collection.

Discounts possible for multiple purchases!