REALLY unique German Pottery... help identify? I can't find ANYTHING even close to this. Ideas?

Says Germany on the bottom. Appears to be hand painted & may be the # 720? On the bottom as well. Seems to be painted in the same gold tone paint as is accented on the piece. I got this many years ago at a flea market knowing nothing about it. Its so unique.

 

I can take better pictures if anyone needs to see anything specific. It was pretty dark in the room & admittedly the lighting is terrible but at least you can see what it is & the general detail of the piece. Really hoping someone can help me bc I can't find anything that even looks like it.

 

It is typical 1960s German pottery.

 

Thanks! Any idea where I can find anything else like it? I keep looking & I've come up with nothing. I've never seen anything exactly like it...

 

I would have thought early 1900's, maybe 1920's? ...but wait for others.

I think it is a marvelous piece. I'd have purchased it in a heartbeat.

 

I think it's gorgeous too! It's just driving me bonkers that I can't find ANYTHING about it. Ive even been trying to find something maybe similar but literally nothing close to it.

 

I think circa 1920 and similar to some more sophisticated things done by Amphora or later on in Czechoslovakia. There are also some similar vases from Japan. In fact, I might have thought this Japanese had it not been marked. Look at Japanese Tokanabe pottery.

This is the only remotely similar vase marked Germany I could find. Unfortunately, the seller had no other information about it. They did date it to early 20th century, though I think their logic about a specific date is flawed..



http://www.nationalantiquecentre.com/index.php/products/date/category/art_nouveau/P20/

 

German products in the 1920s and even '30s were marked 'foreign' or 'foreign made', because 'Germany' or 'made in Germany' didn't sell after WWI.

 

Japan pieces were also marked Foreign.

 

Japan pieces weren't marked that way till after WW2, though.

This is late 19th/erly 20th Jugendstihl and very nice. The font is a bit of a clue.

 

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I really appreciate it. We've definitely got a mystery on our hands... anyone have any ideas to what the number painted on the bottom could mean? At least I'm not feeling as completely inept...lol. I REALLY can't find anything like it! Any suggestions on where else to look? Maybe even an expert that I could send some pictures to?

 

Given it's painted, I suspect it's the person who decorated it.

 

Even though I can't find any mark? Any ideas on how to determine this for sure. Your ideas helped. I went searching & found this. It's the only thing ivet found in looking off & on honestly for a few years now that's even remotely close top the shape. Granted this is almost a 9000 piece..lol. I'm pretty sure that's not what I'vet got but it's just so interesting that I want to know more about it for sure. Here's the pic I found that's a similar shape & the only one I've ever seen even close.

 

Keeps saying pic is too large won't let me postell the screen shot for some reason

 

Here's a different one. The other pic was closer in shape to move but it won't let me upload the picture. How can I tell for sure? Any ideas?

 

Pieces from Germany that came to the US were marked by law as to country of origin. 1890 to 1923 was country required, after that was 'Made In Germany' required. Lots came in in the twenties to try to pay the war debt. Lots came in in the thirties to finance build up for the next war.

 

Any suggestions on how I can trace it to a particular maker? Thanks! ❤ I'm really new at this stuff & love learning the history and value of items.

 

I suspect Shikaku might not be in the US. UK maybe?
Imports into the UK and the rest of Europe had the 'foreign' or 'foreign made' mark.

 

Not all imports into the UK had the foreign mark by any means.

 

I have clearly been watching the wrong Bargain Hunt shows. I know their experts aren't always right, but I did tend to believe Tim Wonnacott.