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Wednesday, July 30, 2014

West German pottery: Ü-Keramik

Ü-Keramik, also known as Üebelacker Keramik, 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.

The company began to produce ceramics in the 1950s, most of which were exported to Austria and Scandinavia.  Art director Heinz Hommerich developed a rich red selenium glaze in 1954, the first to be mass produced in Germany. While toxic in very large quantities, selenium is a necessary micronutrient for animals in small amounts.

Ü-Keramik pieces were generally 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. Foil stickers were also used, in addition to a company logo on the bottom on 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 quality of the pieces ranged from mediocre to excellent. The line is best known for its chimney shapes 

Ü-Keramik went bankrupt in 1990.

From potsandpots.com, swankinteriorspalmsprings.com and ginforsodditiques.com


My Ü-Keramik vase

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2 comments:

  1. wow, they are great Dana....a maker we rarely...if ever see down here.... more is the pity.

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    1. The only piece by U-Keramik I've ever seen in person is the one I bought when I made that large purchase of West German pieces about a year ago from a woman who had lived in Germany when her husband was stationed there.

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