Karin & Walther Zander – Studio Pottery Crystal-Glaze Vase, 1977
Germany · Height 17 cm · Signed & dated (19)77
A refined example of German studio ceramics by the artist duo Karin & Walther Zander, executed in 1977 and bearing their incised monogram and date beneath the base. This rounded, small-format vase is coated in a sophisticated dark blue to near-black crystalline glaze — a notoriously difficult technique mastered only by a handful of studio potters. The surface is animated by floating, circular micro-crystals, creating a subtle, almost astronomical texture: like watching a midnight sky through a telescope rather than a window.
The glaze itself sits between satin and very soft gloss, giving the form a quiet presence while rewarding close viewing with deep, mineral-like complexity.
Karin (1941–2016) and Walther Zander (1936–2021) were an influential ceramicist couple active in Germany from the 1960s onward. Trained in the post-Bauhaus tradition but unmistakably rooted in studio craft, they developed a vocabulary centred around crystalline and reduction-fired glazes, sculptural vessel forms, and disciplined craftsmanship. Their work appears in specialist publications, private collections, and German studio pottery archives — appreciated both for its technical bravura and its understated, contemplative aesthetics.
Working collaboratively, the Zanders created vessels that bridge the domestic and the sculptural—objects that behave with the discipline of design and the soulfulness of one-off studio pieces.
The vase features a crystal glaze, achieved through a highly controlled firing process in which zinc-silicate crystals grow across the surface at high temperatures. This process produces the floating, circular patterns characteristic of the Zanders’ best work. Each piece is therefore completely unique, as the crystals form differently every time.
Good vintage condition with light signs of age appropriate for a handmade studio piece. No cracks, restorations or chips.
A beautifully atmospheric example of 1970s German studio pottery — quiet, refined, and eminently collectible.
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