- Home
- Decor
- Room Accents & Accessories
- Vessels & Vases
- Vases
- Tall Ruscha 'Vulcano' Pitcher Vase Nr. 311/5
Or save it to favorites and we'll tell you if this item goes on sale!
- Get the Chairish App
- to view in your space
Tall Ruscha 'Vulcano' Pitcher Vase Nr. 311/5
- Get the Chairish App
- to view in your space
Details
Description
A large RUSCHA KERAMIK pitcher-style vase designed by Kurt Tschörner and decorated with Otto Gerhatz's highly successful 'Vulcano' glaze. Model …
more
A large RUSCHA KERAMIK pitcher-style vase designed by Kurt Tschörner and decorated with Otto Gerhatz's highly successful 'Vulcano' glaze. Model Nr. 311/5.
KURT TSCHÖRNER is probably best known for the ceramic forms he designed for Ruscha Keramik, particularly the iconic jug vase no. 313 (1954)—considered by many to be among the best shapes to have emerged from the post-war German ceramics industry. Tschörner's tenure with Ruscha was prolific. When its art director, Otto Gerharz, left to form a company of his own, Otto-Keramik, in 1964, Tschörner went with him. Together, they produced all of that company's forms and décors well into the 1980s.
OTTO GERHARZ (1927-?) was a German chemist and glaze master who began training as a ceramicist in 1942 with a focus on arts and crafts. His apprenticeship was interrupted in 1944, toward the end of WWII, when he was drafted into service with the Wehrmacht. By 1946, he had emerged from the military with his interest in ceramics intact—but with his attention now concentrated obsessively on glaze chemistry. He began attending classes at the technical school at Höhr-Grenzhausen which had just reopened following the war. He completed his training and graduated with a degree in chemical engineering. Two years later he qualified as a ceramic engineer, having written his thesis on glazes. Gerharz continued his education with complementary studies in electro-ceramics, followed by laboratory and consultancy work within the industry.
In 1951, Gerharz went to work at Ruscha Keramik in Rheinbach, as its operations manager and lead ceramist. There he developed a wide range of glazes, playing a decisive role in the company's emergence as one of the most important in the field of artistically designed ceramics. Gerharz is usually credited with developing the famed 'Vulcano' technique in 1959. Commonly seen as a turning point within West German ceramics, the success of this prototypical "fat lava" décor led companies to recognize the possibilities of the surfaces of their glazes, and, in response, to turn away from patterns in favor of textures.
Gerharz retired from Ruscha in 1964 to set up a home workshop where he could continue independent research into glaze chemistry. One of Ruscha's best form designers, Kurt Tschörner, would soon follow him and help to form the namesake Otto-Keramik by 1970. Everything was hand-made at the new concern, and Gerharz was responsible for most of the glazing. His son (Otto, Jr.) took over the workshop in 1994.
RUSCHA KERAMIK was launched in 1948 when Rudolf Schardt assumed management of Klein & Schardt, his father Georg's ceramics factory in Rheinbach—a small town southeast of Bonn in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a long tradition of earthenware pottery. (RUSCHA is a syllabic abbreviation of the name Rudolf Schardt.) The timing of the takeover put Schardt in a good position to take advantage of West Germany's post-war boom, and RUSCHA KERAMIK would become one of the leading lights of the "golden age" of German ceramics.
RUSCHA is credited with some of the era's key developments. It produced some very successful and innovative forms and finishes, including the iconic model Nr. 313 (Kurt Tschörner, 1954)—probably the period's most famous shape—and the 'Vulcano' décor (Otto Gerharz, 1951)—which anticipated by decades the move toward thick, dripping fat-lava glazes.
As well as high-quality vases, RUSCHA is celebrated for exquisite wall plates, plaques, and tiles—manufactured for both indoor and outdoor applications. Specimens from the '70s often exhibit remarkable volcanic and "fat lava" glazes. When RUSCHA shuttered its factory in 1996, Scheurich Keramik acquired many of its designs and molds; distinctive silver RUSCHA labels were sometimes applied to the subsequent production.
IDENTIFICATION: RUSCHA KERAMIK used white clay almost exclusively. Rare examples made with red-brown clay are thought to date from periods when normal supply sources ran out. Vessels are typically embossed or incised with form numbers on their bases. If a model was available in more than one size, a single digit indicating relative size follows the form number (separated by dash or virgule). Lower form numbers (< 100) are occasionally preceded by a letter. Along with a handful of other manufacturers, RUSCHA would sometimes recycle model numbers—a cause of distress for some collectors.
KEY DESIGNERS:
Otto Gerharz
Kurt Tschörner
Hanns Welling
Adele Bolz
Heinz Siery
Cilli Wörsdörfer
less
- Dimensions
- 7ʺW × 6.25ʺD × 13.75ʺH
- Styles
- Mid-Century Modern
- Period
- 1960s
- Country of Origin
- Germany
- Item Type
- Vintage, Antique or Pre-owned
- Materials
- Ceramic
- Condition
- Good Condition, Original Condition Unaltered, Some Imperfections
- Color
- Red
- Condition Notes
- Excellent vintage condition. May show minor signs of wear consistent with age and previous use. Excellent vintage condition. May show minor signs of wear consistent with age and previous use. less
Need more product details?
Shipping Options
Standard Returns & Cancellations
Return Policy - All sales are final 48 hours after delivery, unless otherwise specified in the description of the product.
Extended Return for Trade
- Expands return window for trade members to 14 days (12 days more than our standard return policy)
- Trade member to notify Chairish of intent to return within 14 days of item delivery
- Buyer refunded item cost. Buyer pays return shipping cost
- Does not apply to damages that occur post-delivery
Questions about the item?
Related Collections
- Swung Vases
- Head Vases
- Rare Vases
- Hand Painted Vases
- Hand Blown Glass Vases
- Ikebana Vases
- Green Glass Vases
- Egyptian Vases
- Kathryn McCoy Vases
- Gouda Pottery Vases
- Enzo Mari Vases
- Fukagawa Vases
- Handkerchief Vases
- Qianlong Vases
- Mdina Glass Vases
- Jacopo Simonetti Vases
- Baker Furniture Company Vases
- Swung Glass Vases
- Kinkozan Vases
- Carl Sorensen Vases
- Seguso A.V. Vases
- Whitefriars Glass Vases
- Verlys Glass Vases
- Svend Aage Holm Sorensen Vases
- Roth Keramik Vases
Returns
- Does not arrive
- Is broken during transit
- Is entirely different than what you purchased
- Some made-to-order items and a limited selection of other items (noted as non-refundable in the returns and cancellations section of the product description)
-
Orders where Free Local Pickup or Seller Managed Local Delivery were selected:
- Upon inspection, If you decide not to move forward with the purchase, you or your agent must refuse the item at the time of pickup/delivery from the seller
- Once you have taken possession of the item, all sales are final
- International, cross-border returns may require different processes depending on the countries between which the item is shipping to/from, and the buyer is responsible and duties (if applicable, on cross-border orders).
- On approved returns, the buyer is responsible for the full cost of return packing and shipping.
Cancellations
- Prior to shipping or local pickup, buyers may cancel an order for any reason, with the exception of some Made-to-Order items, where supplies have been purchased or work begun on the item.
- Please notify us within 24 hours of purchase if you would like to cancel an order, as prompt cancellation will reduce the likelihood that you will incur return shipping charges.
- Once shipping or pickup has been initiated, the cancellation will be considered a return and you will be responsible for the cost of shipping.
Shipping
Note: Made-to-Order items typically include a lead time or custom delivery window that is added to the delivery time.
- Chairish Express In-Home Delivery
- Chairish Express In-Home deliveries are currently only offered for international cross-border shipments.
- The item will be delivered to your home and placed in the desired room. The delivery service includes unpacking, inspecting, and removing packaging materials; and does not include installation or setting up the item.
- Shipping charges start at $999 and vary based on the size, weight, packaging, and/or the value of the item.
- Deliveries can take anywhere from 6 to 9 weeks to be delivered.
- Chairish Freight Delivery
- Delivered in a crate, to your front door.
- You will need tools and/or equipment to open the crate.
- Shipping charges start at $799 and vary based on the size, weight, packaging, and/or the value of the item.
- Chairish Freight deliveries can take anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks.
- Only available in selected markets.
- Chairish In-Home Delivery
- The item will be delivered to your home and placed in the desired room. The delivery service includes unpacking, inspecting, and removing packaging materials; and does not include installation or setting up the item.
-
Shipping charges start at $149 and based on the size and the distance between pickup and delivery
(for approximate values see table):
Delivery Type Within 50 miles radius Within 1,500 miles radius Over 1,500 miles radius International Cross-Border Shipping Price $149 - $299 $199 - $799 $449 - $899 Over $899 Transit Time 2 to 4 weeks 3 to 6 weeks 4 to 8 weeks 12 to 17 weeks - For some items, the shipping price may vary depending on the size, weight, material and/or value of the item.
- Free Local Pickup
- Local pickup allows customers to inspect an item at the time of pickup and avoid shipping costs.
- Following purchase, a confirmation email is sent to the email address associated with the order, and includes: Pickup Verification & Seller's contact information
- Please contact the seller within 5 days to coordinate pickup
- Once the item has been picked up (by you or your representative) it cannot be returned or refunded.
- Free Shipping
- Free shipping may be offered on select listings.
- Smaller items are typically delivered within 2 weeks of the purchase date, while larger items and furniture may take up to 6 weeks for delivery.
- When an item with Free Shipping is returned, the cost of return shipping fees will be charged to the buyer.
- Parcel Delivery
- Shipment is arranged through recognized carriers such as UPS, FedEx, and DHL.
- Only pieces that can be safely packed in a box or envelope may be shipped via parcel.
- Shipping charges start at $9 — and vary based on the size, weight, packaging and the value of the item.
Delivery Type US Domestic International Cross-Border Shipping Price $9 - $99 $39 - $499 Transit Time 1 to 2 weeks 2 to 4 weeks - Seller Managed Delivery
- Shipping is offered and managed by the seller, through a shipper of the seller’s choice.
- Available on items at the seller’s discretion.
- Seller Managed Local Delivery
- Local curbside delivery is offered and managed by the seller, within a limited geography.
- Following purchase, a confirmation email is sent to the confirmation email address associated with the order, and includes: Pickup Verification Code & Seller’s contact information
- Please contact the seller within 5 days to coordinate delivery.
The Chairish Buyer Guarantee
Make an Offer
Fees and shipping costs will be calculated in the next step
Have questions about how offers work? Learn more or .
Flag this comment for moderation?