ILSEMARIE HÖBBELMANN ‘BAUHAUS’ SERIES WALL PLATE Nr. 717/3 FOR RUSCHA

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A large (36 cm) 'Bauhaus' series wall plate designed by Ilsemarie Höbbelmann for RUSCHA KERAMIK in 1980.  Marked 717/3.

ILSEMARIE HÖBBELMANN studied at the State Glass School in Rheinbach from 1952 through the spring of 1956 when she received her journeyman's degree.  She worked in the glass industry for six months before joining the staff of RUSCHA KERAMIK.  Initially employed as a ceramics decorator, Höbbelmann advanced to the wall and floor tile department and then was entrusted with the supervision and execution of industrial ceramics.  Upon the dissolution of the construction ceramics workshop in 1960, she returned to decoration.  She trained new employees for a time before taking over management of the department in 1961; around this time she contributed her first designs.  When Gerda Heuckeroth, and soon after, Adele Bolz, left the company in 1962, Höbbelmann became RUSCHA's leading designer, retaining the position until the company closed its doors in 1996.  She is known for designing such series decors as 'Bauhaus,' 'Studio,' and 'Vulcano' (the last not to be confused with the earlier Otto Gerharz decor of that name).

RUSCHA KERAMIK launched in 1948 when Rudolf Schardt assumed the management of Klein & Schardt, his father Georg's ceramics factory in the town of Rheinbach, located near Bonn in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.  (RUSCHA is a syllabic abbreviation of his name.)  The timing of the re-founding ensured that the company was in a good position to benefit from Germany's post-war growth boom.  RUSCHA KERAMIK became a leading manufacturer during the "golden age" of Western German ceramics and is credited with some of the era's key developments.  It produced some very successful and innovative forms and glazes, including the 'Vulcano' décor (Otto Gerharz, 1951)—which heralded the move towards thick, dripping fat-lava glazes—and the iconic no. 313 (Kurt Tschörner, 1954), probably the period's most famous shape.  Hanns Welling, Adele Bolz, Heinz Siery, and Cilli Wörsdörfer were among other notable designers to work for RUSCHA.

RUSCHA KERAMIK was celebrated for exquisite wall plates, plaques, and tiles—manufactured for both indoor and outdoor applications—as well as its high-quality vases.  Specimens from the 1970s will frequently exhibit remarkable lava and volcanic glazes.  When RUSCHA closed its factory in 1996, Scheurich acquired many of its designs and molds; distinctive silver RUSCHA labels were sometimes applied to the subsequent production.

Notes on identification:  White clay was used practically exclusively.  The rare examples made with red-brown clay are thought to date from periods when normal supply sources ran out.  Embossed and incised base-numbering was used for vessels.  If a vase was made in more than one size, a single digit indicating relative size followed the form number.  Low form numbers (< 100) were sometimes preceded by a letter.  Like a few other manufacturers RUSCHA KERAMIK occasionally recycled form numbers, a cause of distress for some collectors.  Pieces were never molded with "Germany" or "West Germany."

In rare instances, bases were hand-inscribed—less often, painted—with the name RUSCHA and a décor name (these tend to be earlier 1950s items).  Where stickers are found they always read "Ruscha Art."  Many items were not stickered.  Sometimes a retailer's label was applied.

Design Year – 1980

Country of Origin – WEST GERMANY

Designer – ILSEMARIE HÖBBELMANN (b. 1938)

Maker – RUSCHA KERAMIK

Attribution – MARKED

Materials – CERAMIC

Condition – VERY GOOD (no defects; may show slight traces of use)

Diameter (cm) – 36.0

Depth (cm) – 5.0

Quantity Available – 0