Footed Ceramic Fruit Bowl – Fridegart Glatzle for Karlsruher Majolika, Germany

Footed ceramic bowl by Fridegart Glatzle for Karlsruher Majolika, shaped with an oval body and softly undulating rim. Its dark brown-black satin exterior contrasts with a layered interior glaze in slate blue, grey and mineral white, characteristic of Glatzle’s restrained approach to post-war German ceramics.

• Dimensions: H 10.5 cm, W 30 cm, D 18 cm
  
• Material: Сeramic
  
• Brand: Staatliche Majolika Manufaktur Karlsruhe
  
• Designer: Fridegart Glatzle
  
• Color: Dark brown, grey, slate blue, white
  
• Condition: Very good vintage condition with minor age-related signs of use; no cracks or repairs.
  
• Era: Mid–late 20th century
  
• Origin: Germany
  
• Remarks: Model 5842; marked on the base.

The raised foot and open oval form make the bowl well suited to a dining table, coffee table or sideboard. Use it for green pears, figs or a small arrangement of citrus fruit, leaving enough of the mineral-glazed interior visible.

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.

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.