Ilse Ludwig-Korbel Narrow-Necked Vase · Studio Pottery, Tittmoning · 1980s, signed

Ilse Ludwig-Korbel (born 1925 in Wetzlar) is one of the internationally recognized voices in German studio ceramics. After graduating from the Werkkunstschule Wiesbaden in 1948, she deepened her education from 1956 to 1957 in Darmstadt – as a student of Ida Erdös Meisinger and Hentschel – and passed her master craftsman examination in Kassel in 1957. In the same year, she opened her own workshop in Tittmoning, Upper Bavaria, where she developed an independent, multi-award-winning body of work over several decades.

The present narrow-necked vase from the 1980s is an exemplary piece from the artist's mature creative phase. The form follows the classic bottle vase: a soft, balanced body, a slender neck, and a precisely drawn shoulder line. This clarity is not an end in itself for Ludwig-Korbel, but rather a stage – the entire statement lies in the glaze.

The iridescent flowing glaze runs in fine gradations over the body, alternating between matte and glossy crystallizing zones and showing speckled areas in places. The interplay between depth and surface, between controlled application and firing chance, is the hallmark of her workshop. Each vase is therefore unique – the combination of form, firing, and glaze cannot be reproduced exactly twice.

The base of the vase bears the artist's typical signature, making its attribution unmistakable. An authentic collector's item of German studio ceramics from the 1980s, suitable for display in a showcase as well as for free placement – wherever a work deserves time and attention.

Dimensions: Height 14 cm · Body diameter 15 cm