Vintage Bay Keramik West German Floor Vase, Attributed to Bodo Mans: Style No. 941-40

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Fabulous Brown West German Floor Vase from Bay Keramik, attributed to Bodo Mans. In excellent condition, it even carries the … Read more Fabulous Brown West German Floor Vase from Bay Keramik, attributed to Bodo Mans. In excellent condition, it even carries the original paper sticker label "Bay Original Design". Likely created in the early 1970’s.
Mans was born in 1935. From 1949 to 1951 he apprenticed as a window dresser and a decorative painter. He next trained as a graphic designer in Cologne before taking up the study of ceramics at the technical school in Höhr-Grenzhausen (1954-1956).
Bay Keramik was founded in 1934 by Eduard Bay in Ransbach-Baumbach, a small town in the heart of the Kannenbäckerland in western Germany. (The Kannenbäckerland, or “potters’ land”—a historic center of ceramics industry—is the site of the largest clay deposit in Europe.) Its output was primarily utilitarian prior to the early 1950s when more and more decorative items were introduced. Production and sales grew rapidly throughout the decade, and, by the early 1960s, Bay was a leading manufacturer of art ceramics.
Mans, a well-respected designer of the period, was employed by the company from 1959 through 1975.

Bay used white clay exclusively; marks are almost always molded to the base. The name BAY often appears. The country of origin is typically noted as “WEST-GERMANY” or “W-GERMANY.” Bay forms are frequently inspired by the Jugend/Art Nouveau style with molded patterns of natural forms like leaves and flowers. The colors are discreet in gray, brown, and green palettes. Some decors have small spots in orange containing uranium. See less