This is quite a show-stopper due to its large size and abstract brutalist decoration.
It was made in the late 1960s by Überlacker Ceramics (Ü-keramik), West Germany.
The company was started by Johann Üebelacker, a tin maker, in 1909 in the small town of Ransbach-Baumbach and was originally intended to be a metal foundry. They began to produce ceramics in the 1950s, most of which were exported to Austria and Scandinavia.
Uebelacker is not as famous as some other West German potteries, and its designers are relatively unknown. The company tended to follow the general trends in the ceramic industry. In the 50s they developed their glaze techniques and they were the first company to mass produce a red glaze made from selenium in 1954.
U-Keramik pieces were most often made of white or off-white clay and were usually only marked on the bottom with the form number and height separated by a slash (/), also called a solidus or a virgule (as you can see on my vase). Foil stickers were also used, in addition to a company logo on the bottom of some pieces. The logo had the u-umlaut in a circle, looking very much like the iconic pop culture symbol of the smiley face.
The company sadly went bankrupt in 1990.
This is an exceptional bottle vase and it has a deeply incised brutalist decoration with angular abstract patterns raised from the surface and the lines filled in with black - there are raised white circles. and the glazes all over is a mottled dark petrol blue colour with patches of French navy. The base is of a gourd or bottle shape and it sits on a little foot on the base. It is certainly quite spectacular on display.
You won't find another one like it so easily - and they probably did not make many of these vases - as the decoration seems to be very labour intensive. The size and rarity of this piece are reflected in my asking price. I have taken lots of pictures for your inspection.
It has no damage of any kind.
Dimensions: The height is 41 cm. The diameter at the widest is 25 cm. The diameter at the rim is just under 8.5 cm.
As previously mentioned, is a bit of a stonker and weighs 2.8 kg.
It will be posted to you with Parcelforce24 in the UK. I will cap the postage on this at £10 and this will be applied at the checkout. We will of course take great care with packing it up for you.