Ceramic Fruit Bowl – Fridegart Glatzle for Karlsruher Majolika, 1970s

Sculptural stoneware fruit bowl by Fridegart Glatzle for Karlsruher Majolika, with a raised foot, broad flared rim and hand-worked spiral details. Its matte glaze moves between earthy brown, grey and slate blue, reflecting Glatzle’s tactile approach to post-war German ceramics.

• Dimensions: H 13 cm, Ø 27 cm
  
• Material: Ceramic
  
• Brand: Karlsruher Majolika
  
• Designer: Fridegart Glatzle
  
• Color: Brown, grey, slate blue
  
• Condition: Excellent vintage condition; no chips, cracks or repairs. Gentle age-related patina.
  
• Era: 1970s
  
• Origin: Germany
  

The broad, open form works particularly well at the centre of a dining table or on a low sideboard, where the glaze can be viewed from above. Use it for pears, walnuts or dark grapes, leaving part of the textured interior visible.

Karlsruher Majolika (the State Majolica Manufactory) was founded on 4 January 1901 in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, to revive and advance tin-glazed majolica and establish an artist-led ceramics program. Over more than a century it became known for art pottery, wall tiles, and architectural ceramics, collaborating with notable figures such as Max Laeuger and Wilhelm Süs, and later for collectible decorative pieces including animal figures linked to makers like Dietmar Liedke. The manufactory ceased operations in 2024, with remaining holdings dispersed via a major closing auction in March 2025.

Fridegard Glätzle (born 24 Nov 1920) is a German ceramic designer closely associated with the Staatliche Majolika Manufaktur Karlsruhe, where she worked as an in-house designer from 1951 to 1981 after training as a potter and studying ceramics in Höhr-Grenzhausen (1949–1951). During her manufactory career, around 1,200 of her designs went into series production, and she also developed her own studio collection; she received the Baden-Württemberg State Prize for Arts and Crafts in 1959.