Seifert studio pottery vase, ochre, brown & green glaze, hand-built, 1970s/80s

This small, sculptural vase is a handmade piece by Seifert Keramik and bears the signature "Seifert", incised by hand into the still damp clay on the base. It was probably made in the 1970s or 1980s, a period when many German studio potters consciously moved away from serial wheel-thrown ware and began building vessels freely from clay slabs. Instead of an even, rotationally symmetrical form, the material itself took centre stage: the slabs were wrapped around a round core, folded several times and pressed together at the seams, giving each piece its own, non-repeatable silhouette.

The cylindrical body stands on a flat, round base and is structured by several vertical folds that project from the wall like raised edges and run out at the top into an irregularly undulating shoulder. The flat top is slightly recessed and has a small, circular opening intended as a bud vase for a single flower, a few grasses or a twig. The vase draws its effect from the multi-layered glaze: a warm, satin-gloss ochre to sand yellow with fine, pearl-like crystalline deposits covers most of the wall and is accompanied by strong rust-brown speckles along the upper edge. One side is dipped in a deep aubergine to chocolate brown, while the top carries a bright green glaze that has flowed during firing and condenses into a dark line in the middle. As glaze and firing turn out differently with every piece, the vase looks new from every angle.

Displayed on its own on a sideboard, shelf or windowsill, the vase is more a small ceramic sculpture than a functional vessel and suits a collection of vintage studio pottery as well as a mid-century interior or a minimalist setting with a Wabi-Sabi feel. The light, unglazed base shows glaze marks from production, which are not damage. It measures approximately 10 cm in diameter and 8.5 cm in height and is in very good condition with no chips, cracks or restorations.