Although not marked as such, this vase has all the hallmarks of the firm Scheurich Keramik which started production in 1954, rather later than most of its competitors, but soon became the largest producer of commercial art pottery in Germany. Their pieces rarely carried the factory name but usually the model number followed by the height in centimetres with ‘W.Germany’ below, as here. Model number ‘501’ can be found in a variety of sizes, usually with similar glaze decoration. Similar glaze decoration, but with a glossy surface, is also found on a vase of a different shape which is actually marked ‘scheurich-KERAMIK’, as was the case with some of the later pieces made and which helps to confirm the identification here. Many of Scheurich’s pieces are colourfully, if not exuberantly, decorated but this is far from the case here where the more restrained glaze effects aptly complement the grandeur of the form. Dating is most likely to the 1960s.