The Scheurich ‘Lora’ is one of the most recognisable glazes in the company’s range. There are a few variations, but the basic theme is a shiny red base overlaid with thick, crusty black and white glaze that has been cut away to reveal the red underneath.

The ‘Lora’ glaze is one of consistently best sellers of West German Pottery. There’s just something about the colours and the pattern that seems to attract many buyers. I wonder how many ‘serious’ collectors dismiss the glaze as being too common, too mainstream as a Scheurich best-seller? However, there is no denying there is a certain allure to it.

The pot in the top left of the picture above is a perfect example of a stereotypical piece of the Scheurich ‘Lora’ glaze: classic colours and design. There are variations though as can be seen from the other pieces; changes in colour, length and width of the incisions down the sides, one layer of ‘cuts’ or two, a more yellowy or grey tinge to the base and so on. There is a slight imposter on the bottom row, however, the second in from the left that I’ve included in my montage, but I believe this one had a slightly different glaze construction to the others. It seems to stem from the same root though in terms of design.

One of my favourite variations here is the gigantic 279 piece with the two-level orange incisions, middle row, last pot above. The 279 is the daddy piece to my beloved Scheurich 414s and I love the orange version of the glaze here. I have never seen anything other than red, green or orange on the ‘Lora’ glaze; a purple or blue could have worked fantastically against the cooler, whiter-tinged glaze variations.

So, what is the charm of this glaze? The contrast? The range that can be collected in the glaze? I’m not sure… but what I am sure about is that this Scheurich glaze is one that will remain popular within the West German Pottery market for a while yet. Prices for these pieces remain steady, and as the market for mid century ceramics continues to expand, it is striking and collectable pieces of Scheurich such as these that will help to bring WGP further into the mainstream design aesthetic.

Related articles

• Patriotic Pottery (littleowlski.wordpress.com)
• Scheurich Glazes (potsandpots.com)