Fat Lava

Fat Lava is the name generic name given to West German Pottery produced in the 1960's and 1970's. The term itself was coined by Mark Hill in his book 'Fat Lava' and subsequently it was used to describe all West German Ceramics of the period. The term reflects the thick often encrusted glazes that are applied to the body of the ceramic using processes that are now obselete or indeed banned! The Fat Lava genre is has seen increased interest over the last 5 years or so with many new collectors entering this exciting world of mid century design.

Some examples of thick 'Fat Lava' glazes:

However, not all ceramics produced during this time fit into the 'Fat lava' categoray or indeed even have a lave type glaze. Many manufacturers including Carstens, Cermano and Steuler (to name a few) used other glaze types. More sublte examples can be seen below, where form often took precedent.