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Hedwig Bollhagen “IDA” Footed Ceramic Bowl Black & White Graphic Design Germany
€179Bid from €149
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Private sellerBerlin, GermanyOn Whoppah since August 2023 • 25 sales
Product description
Hedwig Bollhagen “IDA” Footed Ceramic Bowl – Black & White Graphic Design – Germany, ca. 1980s–1990s
A striking graphic ceramic centerpiece by Hedwig Bollhagen, one of the most important figures of 20th-century German ceramics and a central voice of the Bauhaus-influenced tradition that survived, evolved, and quietly resisted decorative conformity throughout the political ruptures of modern Germany.
This sculptural footed bowl belongs to Bollhagen’s later production and demonstrates her extraordinary ability to reduce decoration into rhythm, geometry, and proportion. Executed in glossy black and warm ivory-white glaze, the bowl features a radiating border pattern composed of elongated vertical bars surrounding a deep black interior field. The result is visually somewhere between Op Art, Constructivism, and a stylized sunburst — severe in structure yet playful in optical effect.
The elevated pedestal form further reinforces the object’s architectural clarity. From the side, the silhouette recalls both classical tazza forms and modernist ceremonial vessels, while from above the graphic composition becomes almost hypnotic, resembling a stage set, piano keyboard, or abstract urban skyline.
Hedwig Bollhagen (1907–2001) occupies a singular position in German design history. Associated with the Bauhaus environment through figures such as Margarete Heymann and influenced by the functionalist ideals of early modernism, she founded the HB-Werkstätten für Keramik in Marwitz near Berlin in 1934. Despite the upheavals of National Socialism, postwar division, and East German industrialization, Bollhagen maintained a remarkably consistent artistic language centered on craftsmanship, utility, and geometric reduction.
Today her works are held in major museum collections and are increasingly appreciated internationally not only as decorative ceramics, but as important material witnesses to German modernism across the 20th century.
This example is particularly successful because of its radical monochrome palette and strong graphic tension. It functions equally well as:
– sculptural centerpiece
– fruit bowl or presentation object
– Bauhaus-inspired decorative accent
– collectible German studio ceramic
Details
Designer: Hedwig Bollhagen
Manufacturer: HB-Werkstätten für Keramik, Marwitz
Pattern: “IDA”
Origin: Germany
Period: ca. 1980s–1990s
Material: Glazed ceramic
Colors: Black and ivory-white
Finish: High gloss
Dimensions
Height: 7 cm
Diameter: 16 cm
Condition
Very good vintage condition with minor traces of age and use consistent with careful handling. No major damages or restorations observed.
A visually powerful and increasingly collectible object that condenses much of postwar German ceramic modernism into a deceptively simple black-and-white composition.
GENERAL INFORMATION
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International buyers: import duties or taxes, if applicable, are the buyer’s responsibility.
All items are photographed and described with care. Vintage pieces may show minimal traces of age; any significant flaws will be clearly mentioned.
Private sale under law: no returns, refunds, or warranties.
Specifications
ConditionVery goodColorsWhiteMaterialCeramicNumber of items1Height7 cmWidth16 cmDepth16 cm
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Seller information
About this seller
Private sellerBerlin, GermanyOn Whoppah since August 2023 • 25 sales