Vintage German ceramic Hedgehog sculpture by Elfriede Balzar-Kopp for Westerwald, 1950s

This stoneware figurine of a hedgehog was designed by Elfriede Balzar-Kopp in Germany during the 1950s. Westerwald stoneware is a distinctive type of salt-glazed gray ceramics from the Höhr-Grenzhausen and Ransbach-Baumbach regions in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The figurine is hand-painted in brown and cobalt colors. Elfriede Balzar-Kopp (1904 - 1983) was a German ceramist and craftsman. In 1937, Balzar-Kopp was the first German potter to pass the master exam. She worked as a lecturer at a ceramic technical college, where she conducted classes in glaze, red techniques in combination with salt glazed stoneware. In her studio, she made jugs, plates and dishes by hand, which had their own style, regardless of the industrial products. She also created her own technique. Balzar-Kopp applied her ideas to create figurines, plates and jugs with curved lines and a strong temperament. On the other hand, her sculptures are dreamy, often flirtatious. She took Cologne Bronze from industrial ceramics and creatively applied it alongside Cobalt Blue and Manganese Violet. Westerwald Stoneware is a salt glazed stoneware produced in German cities such as Höhr, Grenzau and Grenzhausen in the area known as Westerwald. Their products, manufactured from the 15th century to the present day, are molded, stamped and sometimes cut. This figurine is in original vintage condition. Reference : 264689