Walk Like An Egyptian

West-German pottery often drew inspiration from historical examples, both in shape and in décor. Last week when I was unpacking a box that came from storage, I re-stumbled upon a cute little vase by Übelacker that was clearly influenced by Egyptian art and ceramics, but in a very twentieth century way.

1960s Übelacker vase

The shape of this vase is pretty basic. If someone asked me to draw an archetypal shape of a vase, there is a big chance that I would come up with a similar form. Although it is not exactly the same, it seems based on the shape of a Roman Amphora (although similar shapes were also found in excavations in tombs in Egypt), but without the handles. The mottled yellow background very much reminds me of Egypt, as it is a sort of sandy yellow, reminiscent of the desert.

But what makes the vase so much fun for me is the décor! The men walking with their hands up in the air immediately reminded me of the song from The Bangles, Walk Like an Egyptian. I can remember the Bangles-ladies walking in the same way in the video of the song.

Seeing this vase, and rewatching the video by The Bangles did make me wonder: did Egyptians actually walk like an Egyptian? The image we have of them walking in this way seems to come from the Ancient Egyptian relief paintings, where figures were depicted showing both the profile of the face and the body. The placement of the hand (one arm up, one horizantal, fingers pointing out) must have been added later, as I never saw an Egyptian fresco in this gesture. It slightly reminds me of Balinese dancing? Maybe these two styles were successfully mixed to become The Bangles dance.

Measuring and recording the harvest is shown in a wall painting in the Tomb of Menena, at Thebes,
source: Guinness E. Alma

Reading a bit more about the topic, I found out that there are much earlier examples of these Egyptian moves. One of the earliest examples I could find are the Sand Dances by the British trio Wilson, Keppel and Betty. These 'eccentric dances' were the highlight of their show, during which Wilson and Keppel would dance on a stage covered with sand, dressed up in Arabic inspired costumes. They were inspired by the discovery of the tomb of King Tutanchamun by Howard Carter in 1922. The trio performed all over the world (with several different 'Bettys') from 1919 until 1963. I would like to believe that one of the designers at Übelacker saw their performance in Germany and was inspired to create this vase!

Orange UFOs

From the first time I picked up one of the vases made by Walter Gerhards KG, they became one of my all-time favorite companies that made West-Germany vases during the sixties and seventies.

A lot of mystery still surrounds this maker, and our knowledge is definitely fragmentary. They were first thought to be called Söndgen, later Kera Keramik, but we only recently found out that the company was actually  called Walter Gerhards KG, and they were located at the epicenter of the German ceramics industry in Ransbach - Baumbach, located in the famous Westerwald area. The company was probably led by Mr. Walter Gerhards himself, as he is listed as the liable person for the company in the companies registry (Handelsregister). They existed only for a short period of time: from 1959 until January 25, 1978, when it was deregistered. During this period the factory apparently produced items under the names "WG Kera Modern" and "WG Exquisite Kera Modern" from 1959 until 1974, and from 1974 until 1978 under the name "Gerhards" and "Gerhards Gmbh". Labels on these vases seem relatively rare, but most vases are marked in a specific way, that can help us recognize them.

Because the company only existed for 19 years, this would logically mean that the output from Walter Gerhards KG is much smaller, and thus rarer, than the output from large and long existing companies like Scheurich or Ruscha.

So why do I love the vases that were made by Walter Gerhards? The ranges produced have strong shapes, that for me are characteristic for the Mid Century Modern period, mostly with sharp angles combined with curved lines.  Some shapes are unlike anything any other company ever made, and they are very innovative.

One of my favorite shapes is the 1040, or as we like to call it in our family: the 'UFO vase'. I can imagine that the design of the vase was inspired by the space race of the 1950s and 1960s - or by the interest in extraterrestrial life, as was not uncommon in design of this era.

"Look! A flying Walter Gerhards vase!"

For me this design is the perfect example of a combination of strong straight lines with curvy lines, something West-German pottery is renowned for. This vase comes in several glazes, so far I have 5 and a few small variations, but my favorite is the version that comes with thick black lava and is combined with a beautiful red/yellow/orange glaze, as pictured below.

As you can see, these wonderful outlandish shapes were combined with some of the most beautiful glazes. Walter Gerhards uses daring color combinations such as bright green on black, purple with yellow, and orange with black. For me these colors ooze the seventies. In addition to colors, a lot of attention in the design is paid to using different textures. Thick lava drippings are combined with extremely glossy glazes, and matte backgrounds are mixed with shiny glazes.

Another important aspect for me is the high quality of these vases. The vases are quite heavy and the glazes seem expensive. They look more like studio vases than mass-produced vases, but I'm not sure if that is true. Unlike some companies, I have never seen a Walter Gerhards vase with a production error or with unglazed areas. All in all, they are just nice to handle, to touch!

In my opinion Walter Gerhards is still very much underrated by West-Germany collectors, and maybe this is because the output of the factory seems small and so little information is yet known about the company. Hopefully we will find out some more information about Walter Gerhards and his company in the future. I would definitely recommend picking up some pieces now, as bargains can still be found,  if only because they make a wonderful addition to the collection of any Fat Lava lover!

High quality glazes and beautiful shapes

Do you have any wonderful examples of Walter Gerhards pottery, or new glazes on the 1040 that you want to share! Let me know in the comments section, I would love to see them!

A lot of theinformation used on this blog was shared by members on the amazing pottery & glass forum. If you love West-German pottery and have never visited the site, please go and have a look! www.potteryandglass.forumandco.com