RED AND BLACK VOLCANIC OTTO KERAMIK FLOOR VASE

An outstanding example of Otto Gerharz' volcanic crater glaze on a substantial form by Kurt Tschörner for Otto Keramik OTTO GERHARZ (1927-?) was a chemist and glaze master who began his training as a ceramicist in 1942 with a focus on arts and crafts, but his apprenticeship was interrupted in 1944 when he was drafted into military service. By 1946 he had emerged from the military with his interest in ceramics intact, but a shift in focus from the art and craft of pottery making to an obsessive interest in glaze chemistry, so he began attending classes at the technical school at Höhr-Grenzhausen which had just reopened after the war. In his time at Höhr-Grenzhausen, he was able to complete his technical training and emerge with a degree in chemical engineering. He graduated two years later as a ceramic engineer, having written his thesis on ceramic glazes. Gerharz continued his education with complementary studies in electro-ceramics followed by laboratory and consultancy work in the in