Gerhard Liebenthron Globular Vase with Cup Rim, Studio Pottery, Signed GL 82, 10.9 cm, Bremen 1982

This globular vase comes from the workshop of Bremen ceramist Gerhard Liebenthron (1925–2005), who, after studying at the Norddeutsche Kunsthochschule, created freely thrown and hand-built unique pieces in Bremen for decades, latterly in the Böttcherstraße. The signature is hand-incised into the unglazed base: the monogram GL with the year 82 beside it. Liebenthron marked his work in this way with monogram and year, which dates the vase to 1982.

The compressed globular body rises into a slender, waisted neck ending in a small, flared cup-shaped rim. Freely drawn black-brown lines and loops run across the cream-white ground, together with dark speckles that gather into denser areas in places. The glaze is satin with a soft sheen. The inside of the cup rim is glazed in glossy deep brown, contrasting clearly with the light exterior.

As a bud vase for a single stem or as an object on a shelf, sideboard or windowsill, the vase suits a vintage or mid-century interior as well as a collection of German studio pottery. It measures 10.9 cm in height and 13 cm in diameter. The condition is very good, with no chips, cracks or hairlines and no notable signs of wear; small irregularities in glaze and decoration are part of the handmade production. No VAT is shown.