mid century

Kienzle Automatic ceramic wall clock, Bauhaus Modernist style, West Germany circa 1950’s

December 10, 2012Clocksautomatic, Bauhaus, ceramic, Clock, design, fifties, Kienzle, kitchen, mid century, modernist, office, porcelain, retro, vintage, wall, West German, yelloafterglowretro One comment

This is a Beautiful Kienzle ceramic wall clock, Germany circa 1950’s / early 1960’s.

A Stunning design with the porcelain body in glossy white framed with yellow glazed strips on the top and bottom. The Wonderfully proportioned square form with the raised central section and circular face is very Bauhaus / modernist in style, very reminiscent of the German designs of the era.

A Fantastic clock from a renowned high quality maker. The face is covered by a glass dome in a chrome surround, hinged for easy access. The numerals and lettering are very stylish and graphic reflecting the Bauhaus influence.

The clock has been fitted with a modern movement and hands to ensure perfect working, the angular geometric hands complement the graphic form perfectly.

A Striking practical piece that would complement any retro, vintage, 50’s, 60’s, modernist, mid century, minimalist or contemporary interior.

In Excellent Condition no marks, chips or scratches. The new Quartz movement keeps perfect time, operated by one AA battery.

Measures 21 x 21 x 3.5cm / 8.5 x 8.5 x 1.5in.

Set of 4 Dumler & Breiden Keramik vases and bowls, West Germany circa 1960’s

December 9, 2012Ceramics60's, abstract, Bowl, breiden, cubist, dumler, fat lava, keramik, mid century, pottery, retro, set, Vase, vintage, West Germanafterglowretro Leave a comment

This is a Great Set of 4 Dumler & Breiden Keramik pieces, West Germany circa 1960’s.

Beautiful Mid Century style design from this renowned West German pottery of high quality wares and ‘Fat Lava’ pieces. The decor is influenced by abstract Cubist patterns and with the terracotta glaze has a natural classic look, coupled with the simple curved forms.

The two small bud vases are elegantly curved, one slender with a flared rim, the other short and bulbous. The two shallow bowls / dishes have gently sloping sides, one has a pointed end, suggesting a handle.

A Stunning little collection, the forms complement each other beautifully and the simple zig zag painted motifs in white, blue and yellow add a nice retro touch.

Would be Great as part of a collection of West German / Fat Lava / European Art Pottery, and would make a fantastic addition to any retro, vintage, 50’s, 60’s, mid century, modernist, minimal or contemporary interior.

In Excellent Condition, no marks, chips or scratches on the pieces.

Marks to the base vary on each piece and are indistinct impressed or hand inscribed, the short vase is most clearly numbered 979, all marks are shown in the base photo.

Measuring:

Slender vase 11 x 4.5 x 4.5 / 4.5 x 1.75 x 1.75in.
Bulbous vase 7 x 9 x 9cm / 2.75 x 3.5 x 3.5in.
Lozenge shaped bowl 3 x 14 x 10cm / 1.25 x 5.5 x 4in.
Handled bowl 3.5 x 13.5 x 12.5cm / 1.5 x 5.5 x 5in.
Have any questions? Contact the shop owner.

Jim Beam ‘Wonderful World of Ohio’ limited edition collectors Bourbon Whiskey decanter, USA, 1967

December 9, 2012Ceramics, Collectables1967, bottle, bourbon, ceramic, china, Decanter, jim beam, kitsch, mid century, ohio, retro, sixties, usa, vintage, whiskey, wonderfulafterglowretro Leave a comment

This is a Great Jim Beam ‘Wonderful World of Ohio’ limited edition collectors Bourbon Whiskey decanter from 1967.

A Fantastic Kitsch Retro styled flask made from Handcrafted China. Formed in the shape of the State of Ohio, with a fabulous glossy glaze and great images.
One side features ‘The Wonderful World of Ohio’ with a stylised picture, and the original foil label.
The other has a Stunning vintage montage of aspects of Ohio in the 60’s.

Still has the original stopper and cork with the remains of the seal label, the decanter is empty but the cork is stuck in, could be cut out if you want to use the flask, perfect as a decorative piece.

Marked to the base, and has the Regal China makers foil label on the side.

A Striking piece of Collectable Retro China, that would make a great addition to any retro, vintage, sixties, kitsch, American themed or Mid Century interior.

In Excellent Condition, no marks, chips or scratches.

Measures 26 x 14 x 6cm / 10.25 x 5.5 x 2.25in.
Have any questions? Contact the shop owner. jim beam 2

Rolleiflex Automat 6×6 TLR camera by Franke & Heidecke, Germany circa 1954

November 29, 2012Collectables1954, 6 x 6, camera twin lens, classic, design, film, franke, germany, heidecke, mid century, photography, rollei, rolleiflex, tlr, vintage, zeissafterglowretro Leave a comment

A Stunning vintage camera and a design classic. notable for their exceptional build quality, compact size, modest weight, superior optics, durable, simple, reliable mechanics and bright viewfinders. They were popular and widely imitated. The high-quality 7.5 cm focal length lenses, manufactured by Zeiss and Schneider, allowed for a smaller, lighter, more compact camera than their imitators. This example from 1954 comes with original kit including a leather case, a filter and close up filter set in a leather case, a panoramic head, a converter kit for 35mm film and a Rollei manual.

Ceramiche Zaccagnini Geisha playing a harp figurine, Florence, Italy circa 1940’s / 50’s

November 18, 2012Ceramics1940's, 1950's, art deco, art nouveau, ceramic, decorative, figurine, firenze, florence, geisha, italian, japanese, lady, majolica, mid century, pottery, tiffanys, ugo, urbano, vintage, woman, zaccagniniafterglowretro Leave a comment

This is a beautiful and rare piece of Mid Century Modernist Italian pottery by the Zaccagnini pottery. Depicting a Japanese Geisha playing a harp (kugo) the style owes much to the companies Art Nouveau and Art Deco heritage. Produced under the tutelage of Urbano Zaccagnini who had taken over the pottery from his father Ugo in 1937, the focus shifted to decorative figurines, finding favour with high class US stores such as Tiffany’s. During this period they also produced limited, highly collectable and valuable figures for Disney. This wonderful piece contrasts an unglazed matte base with a vibrant blue majolica glaze giving the stylised figure an ancient appearance.

Set of 6 Walter Bosse style stacking metal hedgehog ashtray / dishes and a Kosta Boda etched glass hedgehog designed by Vicke Lindstrand

November 4, 2012Collectables, Glass60's, animal, ashtray, boda, bosse, decor, design, Glass, hedgehog, kosta, lindstrand, metal, mid century, nature, ornament, retro, Scandinavian, set, sweden, vintage, walter, woodlandafterglowretro Leave a comment

Contrasting vintage hedgehogs, the dark metal Walter Bosse style set of 6 stacking small ashtrays is a beautiful and ingenious design and a real mid century classic. The Kosta Boda clear glass paperweight, designed by Vicke Lindstrand exemplifies the minimal Scandinavian aesthetic, a simple form with etched spines. Vintage woodland animals to add some nature inspired retro style to any interior this autumn.

Whitefriars ‘Textured’ cinnamon glass bowl, designed by Geoffrey Baxter circa 1967 & Amber bowl / ashtray for Parker Pens attributed to Whitefriars circa 1960’s.

November 1, 2012Glass60's, art, baxter, Bowl, dish, english, Glass, mid century, parker, retro, vintage, whitefriarsafterglowretro Leave a comment

The ‘Textured’ range designed by Geoffrey Baxter for Whitefriars Glass in 1967 is a design classic of the 20th century. This beautiful cinnamon coloured bowl could be paired up with an iconic ‘coffin’ or ‘banjo’ vase to stunning effect.

The Amber glass bowl / ashtray for Parker Pens, with its Art Deco swirled styling is attributed to Whitefriars who produced glass paperweight pen bases and ashtray desk sets circa 1960’s.

Zell Schmider vase no. 3589, form and decor by Anneliese Beckh, West Germany circa 1956

October 25, 2012Ceramics50's, ceramic, cubism, design, fat lava, keramik, mid century, picasso, pottery, retro, schmider, style, Vase, vintage, West German, zellafterglowretro View all 2 comments

This small but perfectly formed Zell Schmider vase may mark a turning point in my collecting. With its beautiful abstract Cubist /Picasso / Corbusier inspired decor, very much in the Mid-century Modern style, interlocking circles with blocks of primary colour on a simple elegant form.

It encapsulates and references the modern design ethos of the era all in just 10cm ! Unlike the later larger ‘Fat Lava’ floor vases (of which I have quite a few) this could happily sit on a bookshelf or mantelpiece, a subtle nod to great 1950’s design. This will inspire me to seek out other similar pieces that display classic style on a miniature scale.

Vintage Goebel Pottery Hedgehog dish, KZ 98, West Germany circa 1950

September 27, 2012Ceramics, Collectables1950's, animal, dish, figure, goebel, hedgehog, keramik, mid century, porcelain, pottery, retro, vintage, west germanyafterglowretro One comment

Whilst the current trend for vintage West German pottery is almost exclusively aimed at the ‘Fat Lava’ genre and the factories that produced outlandish designs, some great designs can be found from unexpected makers. Such as this lovely Hedgehog dish from Goebel Porzellan, known predominantly for their Hummel figurines! This is a very stylish Mid-century animal figure that would quite happily sit alongside its ‘Fat Lava’ contemporaries in a collection, and would complement the similarly styled Walter Bosse brass figures.

Schlossberg Keramik ‘Staufen’ vase, designed by Ilse Stephan circa 1961

September 19, 2012Ceramics1960's, ceramic, fat lava, keramik, mid century, pottery, retro, schlossberg, Vase, vintage, West Germanafterglowretro View all 2 comments

A stunning mid-century decor ‘Staufen’ by Ilse Stephan for Schlossberg Keramik. Very similar to their classic ‘Kuba’ range, displaying the same primary coloured motifs on a graphic black and white background.

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